For months I’ve been trying to find the word that describes what I’m feeling inside these past 12 months. Is it fear? Is it dread? Is it anger? Yes, it is all of these things, but while those words are part of it, they don’t quite satisfy my need to find just the right word. Labeling things helps me keep[…]
On the Path to Peace…
I’ve heard the phrase “protect your peace” tossed around in self-development circles. It sounds good, but protecting my peace makes it seem like I have it hidden away somewhere, behind lock and key, where no one can get to it. That’s no way to live. I consider myself a nice person. I hold doors for people. I say, “thank[…]
On Christmas Traditions.
I am being haunted by traditions today. Christmas Eve 2020 is not like any other Christmas Eve. Normally, I would be rushing to finish up my work so I could join my family for our traditional Christmas Eve celebration. My siblings and I, together with our families and loved ones, would gather together at Mom and Daddy’s house. We’d give[…]
On Compassion…
Compassion seems to be in short supply right now. Maybe it is lost in shipping with the protein powder I ordered a few weeks ago, or out of print like the book of essays I tried to send to a friend. Maybe it is just out of fashion, like bell bottom jeans. I do not know. But, of all the[…]
On Fog
This year has certainly been one for the books. We find ourselves inside a real-life science fiction movie. We are in a global pandemic that everyone assumed would be over by April, May at the latest. But Halloween was a bust, Thanksgiving was via FaceTime, and now, a few weeks until Christmas, there is no end in sight. Everyone has[…]
On Perspective (a modern day Cinderella story)…
I was walking along on my morning sunrise walk when I spotted this lost shoe off in the distance. My curiosity peaked, I began to imagine the scenario of how that lovely bright blue shoe ended up on the side of a rural road in Oklahoma. I thought of a modern day Cinderella, racing home to make curfew after a[…]
On Birth…
Behold the first moments of the life of my grandson, Jameson Walker. April 10, 2015. I was there. I took this picture. It remains one of the most prominent and precious moments of my life and, arguably, his. My own children were born via C-Section, but had they been born naturally without intervention by the medical team, I would not[…]
On Saving Things…
My Mother passed away in July 29, 2018 and Daddy left us June 1, 2020. They left the family home to my little brother, Kevin. As Kevin, my sister Amy, and I were engaged in the awful chore of going through my parents personal effects and household items, Kevin asked, “Do either of you want Mom’s china.” There was a[…]
On Certainty…
I came across this quote this morning while researching for my final project in Philosophy class. It really spoke to me. It wasn’t helpful for my project but was an “aha moment” for me. I’ve been in a serious funk lately (like almost everyone else on the planet) and I realize now that uncertainty is the cause. I’m having the[…]
On Opinions…
Everyone has their own opinions on the state of our world right now. In Oklahoma, our governor has decided to start “reopening the state” this week. There are varying opinions about this from “Oh, thank God,” to “WTF?? Is he crazy?” The key players in our state’s government cannot even agree on the right thing to do. Is it too[…]