Getting back to normal used to mean unpacking from a vacation; or, putting away Christmas decorations and heading into a new year. It was a bittersweet necessity. Now getting back to normal is almost an impossible dream. Returning to the way our life was mid-March...
Normalcy and Why I Don’t Want to Return
“The coronavirus pandemic has led to a collective loss of normalcy.” Oh brother, has it ever! Everything looks familiar; yet, everything has changed. Over eleven weeks ago, a friend posted a link to an article in the Harvard Business Review, The Discomfort You are...
Ready to Begin Another New Normal?
We are beginning another new normal as the federal guidelines for social distancing expires . . . all of us will be beginning it whether we leave our homes or not. The worst part of the new normal is the anxiety that has made itself at home in my heart. My peers are...
Out of Control, Our New Normal
A Sudden and New Normal I thought it was under control, my husband’s cold. Three hours later, I saw it was not! And the EMT’s who answered my frantic call confirmed what we had been told was a cold, might just be a bit more. Fifteen hours in an unfamiliar ER; twenty-...
Another Annual Physical: Questions and A Memory Quiz
So, part of my annual physical included answering a bunch of questions and taking a memory quiz. (after losing 150 vials of blood . . . ok: 6) First Was The Memory Quiz The memory quiz involved my remembering the name and address of someone after I counted backwards...
Looking Back: Lessons Learned from COVID
Looking back, before COVID erupted in March 2020, Doug and I may have had it! Something fast and harsh knocked us for a loop in February. I caught what I thought was a cold and shared. That wasn’t a kind thing. Doug wound up on heavy meds. Shortly after we...
Bible Study in a New Watershed Moment
The serendipitous course of our small Bible study delights and disturbs me. The readings have been surprisingly pertinent in what feels like a new watershed moment. First, we studied the book of Hebrews; its message was timely: don’t let increasing troubles shake your...
Making the Most of Powerlessness
In these times of increasing powerlessness to change anything more than a light bulb, I catch my self wringing my emotional hands — What can I do? What can I say? Not much . . . Take my advice, I'm not using it … bumper sticker That’s the soil beneath the surface...
Triggered is a New Adjective That Covers a Multitude of Sins
Triggered is a new adjective that covers a multitude of sins, one of which is turning away from what might be on God’s agenda for me today. And it describes perfectly what happened to me on a recent shopping jaunt! Intent on enjoying some retail therapy I hastened...
Unclaimed Property
Discovering unclaimed property in my mother’s name has been unsettling, reacquainting me with feelings of loss, grief and guilt. And yet giving me and my brother with a wee spot of cash from our mom. UNSETTLED My mother bought a $500.00 insurance policy when she was...
Reopening My Mother’s Estate
Reopening my mother’s estate was one thing that was never on my radar. But the past year has brought many unexpected experiences, conversations and worries, hasn’t it? Because sleep and I are not always on speaking terms, one night I searched the Maryland Unclaimed...
Decorating Updates
My Decorating Updates are not impressive by Martha Stewart’s standards, however, they represent progress for me. The Christmas tree is now hibernating and so is the Christmas wreath; its batteries finally died. I am maintaining the window candles for now, along with...
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