We said goodbye to my 94-year-old grandma, Jeanette Couch, today in a beautiful celebration of life in her home church in southern Indiana. These are the words I shared. Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” This was the first of many Bible verses my grandma taught me through the years. During … [Read more...]
Plot twist!
In this crazy year we’re experiencing, absolutely nothing is a surprise. A global pandemic cancelling absolutely everything under the sun for months, with cancellations continuing daily? Of course. School being moved to our kitchen table overnight? Alrighty. Murder hornets? Sounds about right. So it seems like the perfect year for … [Read more...]
The empty halter
Oh, you never forget that moment. That moment your first steer is loaded onto the semi, and you’re handed that empty halter. That dreaded, empty halter. Maybe he was a sweetheart. Maybe he was a knot head. But as you carry that empty halter back to your stalls – now missing that animal once part of your barn for months – things … [Read more...]
It’s Friday. But Sunday is coming.
Yesterday was a rough one. No need to sugar-coat it. It started with a phone call from the monument company needing some verification on the engraving for dad’s gravestone. I just couldn’t seem to get my ideas across – even though we had visited in person a few months ago, and I thought we were on the same page. Apparently, we weren’t. … [Read more...]
I nearly died last week…
OK. So maybe I didn't REALLY almost die. But at the time? I was nearly certain it was my last day. Anyone who knows me well knows I'm not exactly an "extreme sports" gal. And coordination is not my strong point. But last week, I was with two of my dear friends in Florida -- two friends who whisked me away for a few days to reset … [Read more...]
Lessons learned in 16 years of marriage
April 5, 2003. The day that I gave up my “independent single woman” status and vowed to love, honor and cherish Craig Lee for a lifetime. There with our dearest friends and family gathered around, we certainly had a starry-eyed view of what marriage would be. And we definitely thought we had it all figured out. Oh, how we were … [Read more...]