For the last several years, I have graced the doors of one of the busiest Wal-Marts on the East coast, at least once a week. Several months ago a new Wal-Mart opened down the street. This Wal-Mart was rumored to be built for many years and it finally came to fruition. Because I was used to going to the super busy Wal-Mart (the one our town shares with over twelve thousand residential college students) as an undergraduate student, I continued to shop there as a graduate student, and then later as a citizen of the town. Last Thursday, I was attending a Bible study that happened to be across the … [Read more...]
Gracefully Planning to Age
When we are children, many of us look at older kids and think, "I can't wait until I'm older." We can't wait to get to high school to enjoy that freedom. We finally get there and realize there is not as much freedom as we had anticipated, so… then we can't wait to go to college! We arrive at college and realize that, while there is some freedom, there are negative consequences in taking advantage of that freedom. After college, we start our full-time jobs and often feel less freedom than we felt when as a child. Bills come, bosses make mandates, and all of those things we were going to do when … [Read more...]
Hanging Out with the Boys (or Girls)
Marriage is great and, if you work at it, your spouse can be your best friend. However, it is still important that you have some same-sex friends. Women can find their boyfriend’s, fiancée’s, or husband’s same sex friendships to be threatening: "Why doesn't he want to spend all his time with me?" Sometimes it can affect men the same way: "Why does she always need to spend time with her girlfriends? Am I not enough?" If your significant other has a comfortable number of same-sex friends (as determined by your significant other), it can be a tremendous blessing for your marriage. Men and women … [Read more...]
Dealing with Arguments that Arise from a Lack of Rest
It is no coincidence that I am writing this early in the morning. I've been up, taken the dog out twice, fed her, made breakfast for myself and Eric, and packed his lunch. This was all done with an annoying headache. The headache, I'm sure, is due to a lack of sleep. When I don't get proper sleep, it shows all over me. My face has a scowl, I stumble all over the house, and if I'm not careful (and sometimes I'm not), I snap at my family. Preferentially, I am a night person. I could stay up all night and sleep all day; but, that is not a good option with my life’s circumstances. To get enough … [Read more...]
White Christmas
As I was planning what I was going to say in this year’s Christmas blog post, my grandmother handed me a Christmas letter to read. It was written by a lady from the church in which I was raised. After reading it, I knew I had to share it with you all. Have a blessed Christmas! “White Christmas”Perhaps you’ve heard it said, “Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.” Back in December of 1989, I prayed for a “white” Christmas. God must have heard my earnest prayer because He opened up the windows of heaven and poured out a blizzard. For a couple of days, the wind howled and … [Read more...]
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