NO as a complete sentence

NO as a complete sentence   Once again she was validating why she was setting a boundary with a person who has no sense of boundaries. Every word she said after “No, I can’t because…” was just more fuel for the fire.    Just say “NO.” and be done with it, a friend told her.   “What she said,” I

Letting us off the hook – New Year message from LampLighter

Letting us off the hook – New Year message from LampLighter   I had been feeling it. The desire to just sleep, to rest, to drink hot beverages from a pottery mug, to write, to feel, to sit… and not much else.    I was on my feet of course, working, cooking, entertaining, all the holiday things… but this undercurrent

Endings and Beginnings

Greetings and welcome to a NEW YEAR!    How the heck did we get here?!   As a kid I remember complaining about how long things, like summer vacation would last. Yes, really. I was a farm kid so summer for many of my friends was biking around town, going to the lake to swim, hanging out with friends all

Your life in a nutshell – It is what you celebrate

Your life in a nutshell – It is what you celebrate   “Well, it’s not like it’s a big deal.” He said, in his usual tone when he doesn’t understand why I am saying what I am saying.   “I disagree,” I said, “this is your life happening. It deserves a picture.”   My husband and I were talking about

We take care of what we value…

We take care of what we value…   Her voice cracked as she spoke, “I don’t understand why they don’t treat me well.”  She was speaking, not of some random manager at work, or the barista at the local coffee shop, but of her own children.   We talked through the trials and tribulations of young adult children, how they

Don’t take time, Make time…

Don’t take time, Make time…   Making your List, checking it twice… are you on it? Tis’ the season for all the things!!! I love the holidays! All the busyness, gatherings, hosting, shopping, decorating, food, parties, I love it all! … Until I don’t. As a good extroverted introvert, (that means I was raised to engage well with others, but

A time of Thanks

Cheers to another wonderful year. As we step into this time of Thanks, there is much that comes to mind.    It is easy to be thankful for the apparent good things: I am thankful for our first batch of chickens I am thankful my Son is back on US soil I am thankful Clarence’s son is back living in

Setting Limits to Save Ourselves

“You’re doing the job of 10 people, and that’s a conservative estimate,” I said. “I know.” Her body slunk down, her eyes dropped and filled a bit with tears. “You are an amazing human, but you’re just ONE human. You get three.” “But who’s going to do the rest?!” She looked at me in shock. “Great question. Start with giving

What are we afraid of? An ode to feelings.

He started this endeavor when he brought them home by saying, “now Anne, you can’t fall in love with them. You know why we’re raising these.” And there they were, 25 little fluffy yellow chicks peeping around a tiny little swimming pool in our garage.  I heard what he was saying. As well as this man knows me, I stopped