Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Whether you have Irish in your blood or not, it’s always fun to wear green on St. Paddy’s Day. Not that I think anybody should get pinched for not wearing green. I don’t think that was a thing when I was a kid, and not a thing I’d want anyway. We’ll just leave the pinching off …
What Mom Taught Me
This morning at church, our talented pianist played “It Is Well with My Soul” for the special music during our offertory. For me. Not because I asked but because she remembered that was a song we played at Mom’s funeral three years ago this week. It’s funny how time spins away. Sometimes it’s like yesterday that Mom was here and …
Missing Mom’s Smile
“Christmas is far and away my favorite holiday. I love everything about it, from the event that inspired it, hoping for a white one, to wrapping presents. But mostly I love having family and friends gathered, and sharing traditions.” ~Ellen Hopkins I hope you all had a merry and joyous Christmas with your families and friends. And if you couldn’t …
A Giveaway to Honor Mom
Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever. ~Author Unknown Missing Mom I’m missing my mother today on my first ever Mother’s Day without her. As most of you know, Mom went home to be with the Lord in July last year. She had walked …
Generations of Love
“It’s true, Christmas can feel like a lot of work, particularly for mothers. But when you look back on all the Christmases in your life, you’ll find you’ve created family traditions and lasting memories. Those memories, good and bad, are really what help to keep a family together over the long haul.” (Caroline Kennedy) Family – generations of love. Grandmother …
Sorting through the Odds & Ends of Mom’s Life
The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life. ~William Morris Mom’s been gone for over a month now. For a while it’s felt like she’s still at the memory care facility and I need to go see about her. But that’s not so. She doesn’t need anybody to see about …
A Penny from Heaven
Have you ever read about people finding pennies after a loved one dies? I’d read the stories and thought it was great that these people had found something to help them through their grief. Did I believe the pennies were really from heaven? Did I think the person who had passed on had somehow found a way to manipulate a …
My Mother, My Friend
Mom and Dad on a date Mom on her honeymoon The first friend any of us have is our mother. And my mother was the best friend I could have ever had. She taught me how to embrace life and that the more love you give away, the more you are blessed with in your heart. She was cute …
Hands On Learning – Experience Not Required
This is the very first picture of me as a mother. I was very young. Seventeen. But I loved that baby from the first moment I knew I was expecting even though it meant my life was going to drastically change. My girlhood days would come to an end and I would have to be an adult. A mother. I …
Seeing the Light through Dementia’s Darkness
A Special Treat I have a special treat for you on One Writer’s Journal this week – a guest post by Kristy Robinson Horine. I met Kristy at the Licking Valley Writers’ Conference when I was signing my books at a writer’s event last fall. At the time, Kristy was the executive director of the conference, but life was about …