Double Portion Inspiration

This year has been filled with devastating news cycles. My heart is saddened. There is so much that can make us feel unsettled. Fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, political unrest, pandemic & division (just to name a few) can bring anyone to their knees searching for answers.  How much longer will this last? How do I find calm in the midst of disruption? Where do I find joy ? These type of questions are the reasons I wrote, " Power Of One: Finding Hope In The Midst Of Struggle ." I wanted to find a way to bring God's light into so much darkness. I wanted to reassure readers that God uses our painful moments. It develops our character and fortitude. No experience is wasted.  When my book launched earlier this year it was a dream come true. Honestly, it was a passion project for me. I didn't know or understand the impact it would have. I didn't care about how many sold. I wanted to do something to fill my cup. Writing and encouraging others fills my cup. I'v...

My son's senior year in 2018 was hectic (actually that's an understatement). I remember there were so many details to finalize, parties to plan and then get him prepared to head off to college. It was the year he picked his college (not an easy process) and started flying to pursue his aviation dream.  My life was moving fast as I juggled work and the mounting details of his senior year. I would be standing in the kitchen and constantly rattle off questions to him. Did you fill out the FAFSA form? Did you apply for that scholarship? Did you study for your test? Did you hear from the admissions office? Did you write that essay? Did you sign up to take the SAT? My son would look at me and say, "MOM, RELAX!" I look back now and think about how stressed I was ALL the time. I transferred that stress onto him with all my questions. Life was breathless and frazzled for me. I had so many to do list - my list had list. Have you ever felt like that? I didn't know where to s...

This summer I spent time with my daughter and Goddaughter. They've both successfully made it through their freshman year of college. During our time together, I asked for their top pieces of advice for high school Juniors and Seniors. Here's what they shared: Continue to build relationships in your Junior year . They stressed the importance of building relationships with teachers, counselors, and coaches in your Junior year. They will be important in your Senior year when asking for letters of reference and recommendations.  Apply for as many scholarships as possible.  There are so many scholarships available. Provide yourself time to apply for as many as possible. Use a calendar system to help remind you of scholarship deadlines.  Apply for college early in your Senior year of high school. Most colleges will open up registration for college admissions the summer before the fall semester begins. Take time to apply early so that you're not stressed by any deadlines.  ...

I am out of prison! Normalcy is returning in the U.S.  COVID restrictions have lifted.  For me that meant taking vacation with my girlfriends. We normally travel annually to meet up. Unfortunately, we hadn't taken a trip since 2017. Although we did the Zoom thing in 2020, we missed the physical interaction of being face to face. The girls trip this year felt different. In fact, it was extra special. The excitement before the trip was exhilarating. No one was really focusing on work, we wanted to start vacation early (wouldn't you?).  The thought of no plans, no housework, no cooking (unless we wanted) and no children asking, "What's for dinner?" We love our families but the opportunity to have solitude with friends is priceless. There was so much to celebrate .  Since 2017, four of the seven kids in our village graduated from high school and started college.  We celebrated one sister being healed from cancer.  We celebrated the completion of a 25 year ...

Did you know?  Our beloved father was a TWIN! I think that shatters the myth that being a twin, skips a generation. Our dad (Ernest) was also an avid golfer with a big personality. We spent many moments with him on a golf course during our childhood. There was great joy when dad would take us golfing with him on his days off.  This was usually on a Monday. We enjoyed the many tasks of being with Big E (his nickname) - cleaning his clubs, riding in the golf cart (our favorite) and even raking the sand dune. We knew all of this would eventually lead to a Cherry Coke when we arrived back to the clubhouse.  We didn't know it then but each encounter with a golf course and our dad was etching a precious memory we now cling too. Fast forward to 2021, our father now resides in heaven but we have incredible memories of being on that golf course with him. Not only do we have memories but also advice...LOTS of advice. Our father gave us plenty of wisdom during the Summer of 1991. Th...

It is almost Summer and many families have booked their 2021 vacation. I visited my mom for Mother's Day and I could tell by the traffic on the highways, people are already traveling. It was a beautiful moment to surprise my mom on Mother's Day weekend by bringing her sister to surprise her. They had not seen each other in 15 months. I sat on Mother's Day reflecting that a year ago this type of family reunion wasn't possible because of the pandemic. What a difference a year makes! In our home we've been celebrating many birthday milestones. I picked a perfect beach cottage for us to finally get away. We like to keep it simple, just have fun at the beach. Before vacation, I get so excited thinking about what I want to do each day. I'm cautious now not to make ANY plans. You can pack numerous activities into your vacation and come back needing a vacation from the vacation.  The only vacation plan we had was to visit the beach everyday. Well the first two days of...

Photo credit:  Highlight Studios My husband and I recently celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary so why not write a post about marriage? I don't claim to be an expert on the subject by any means but, I'm often asked about marriage and how we've made it together for so long. Here are 3 questions I'm asked the most: 1. How did you know he was the one ? Our dating/courtship was very short. After 5 months of dating exclusively, he asked me to marry him. We were both young and knew without any doubts that we wanted to share our lives together.  All I can say is that I knew. I know that's probably not what you expected to hear but it's the truth.  I just knew ! It was unlike any other relationship in my past.  I will often share with singles that if you have to many questions about whether it's the right person on the other end of your relationship, it might not be the right person.  One thing love is not is unsure.  2. What is the key to marriage ? Alton and I...