When I was a little girl, I was in awe of my Grandmother and her many abilities. Grandma could do anything. She was a wonderful cook and she was packed with so many wonderful domestic skills. She could quilt, sew, embroidery, knit and crochet. I could only watch in amazement because I never mastered any of these incredible gifts, even though my Grandmother tried very patiently to teach me. My sister, on the other hand, was able to learn these crafts from Grandma. My sister is one of those women who can do anything, too. If I didn’t love her so much I would have to hate her.
Read More›She clutched them tightly in her tiny hand. “Aren’t they beautiful, Mommy?” Well, they were yellow, I’d give her that, but beautiful – not in my opinion. “I picked these for you!” “Oh, thank you, Shug.” I replied.
Read More›What was the most challenging remodeling job you ever tackled? I know, just thinking about it brings back nightmares about the struggles, problems and trials of your renovation experience. After months of crying, wanting to pull your hair out or just finding a place to scream, you look back on the journey with a sigh of relief and say “It was worth it.” Summertime always reminds me of my most challenging renovation project of all time.
Read More›My sister-in-laws are absolutely wonderful. Each one is gifted with special talents and abilities. One is an expert gardener, she can grow anything. Her backyard would give “Better Homes and Gardens” magazine a run for its money. Another is a gifted physician and one of the smartest and most impressive women I have ever known. These two sisters have homes that look like they hired interior designers to decorate, but they did it all on their own. Another sister-in-law can fix anything. She has a very mechanical mind and she loves a hands-on challenge. My brother’s wife is probably the best mom in the entire world. They are all fabulous cooks. They all possess this amazing skill of which I seriously lack in talent. Though they are all expert gardeners, fabulous cooks, interior designers and amazing professionals, what I treasure the most in each one of them is that they are special friends. Had fate not brought us together as family, I feel certain that friendship would have found us. We all have so much fun together. I could tell you story after story, list laugh after laugh and map out for you adventure after adventure. Let’s start with an adventure! The setting is Tampa, Florida and the adventure takes place on the Hillsboro River.
Read More›“And praise him down here on earth, you creatures of the ocean depths.”
– Psalms 148:7
He was about 9 years old and lost in his own little world. Truth is, no matter how old you are, at the beach, you can easily get lost in your own little world. There he stood, about knee deep in the ocean. His back was to the water and his face to the shore. He was playing with a tiny crab he had found. He was a typical boy, investigating every facet of his crabby friend. I am watching this scene from my trusty beach chair placed in my usual summer beach spot.
Read More›We were celebrating my birthday at the beach in Cancun, Mexico earlier this year. Our bedroom overlooked the ocean and our unit had a balcony designed to assist us with breathtaking views of the beach. At night, we would open the sliding doors off the balcony, open the curtains and listen to the waves. The sound of the water and the ocean breeze rocked us to sleep.
During one particular night, a stream of fabulous, bright light woke me up. I thought, “What in the world is going on?” Was the resort using flood lights for something?” I jumped out of bed and headed for the balcony. On the way to the balcony I glanced at the clock. It was 3:00 a.m. As I got closer to the opened doors, I realized that moonlight was lighting up the room. Placed in the sky was the most beautiful, crisp crescent moon.
Read More›“You put your left foot in; you put your right foot in and then you shuffle all about.” This dance is no Hokey Pokey; it’s a dance with serious moves, one that every beach lover should know. It’s the Stingray Shuffle. You beach bums out there know what I am talking about. It’s the shuffle you have to perform as you enter the water during stingray season. It’s really quite easy. If you don’t know the shuffle, allow me to give you a dance lesson. Here’s how you do it. Just shuffle your feet back and forth on the ocean floor when you get into the water, which warns the rays you are there. They will clear out.
Read More›You may remember that I am an avid seashell collector. I have gathered many shells over the years and I have a very interesting collection from several places around the world. I have an assortment of big shells, little ones, polished ones and broken ones. Some are unique and rare. Some have lovely stripes and patterns while others are plain. Every time I go to the beach a shelling adventure is always at the top of the agenda.
Recently, our family took a beach trip. There were some powerful storms that occurred nearly every day of our trip. The storms would hit in the early morning or come ashore in the late afternoon. While the storms robbed me of a couple of sun-filled days on the beach, the storm’s inconvenience repaid with a contribution of fabulous shells on the sand.
Read More›I’m writing these words to you straight from the ocean. My chair is on the edge of the water and the waves are lapping at my feet. I love this spot. The beach is my favorite place in the world. It’s at the ocean’s edge that I feel so close to God. I feel Him in my heart and in my spirit. He meets me here. I hear His power in the waves and I taste His goodness in the salt air. I love to sit by the ocean and ask God to delight me, to give me a deeper glimpse into His Glory. Every time I ask, He comes through and amazes me every time.
Read More›Another sleepless night! Can anyone relate? With a thousand things on my mind, I surrendered to this restless, weekend night and simply got up and out of bed. It was a beautiful evening, so I went outside and sat on the back porch. I was soaking in the glory of the night: the breeze, the stars, the sounds and suddenly a little light caught my eye and then another. As my sight adjusted I could see that the back yard was sprinkled with light. God had sent me fireflies. Not a bad gift for a sleepless sister. In that moment I was taken back to my childhood. In my mind I could see myself racing through the country. My little sister was with me and we were both bare-footed with grass between our toes. We had little jars in our hands. These jars came complete with lids which we had beautifully designed with air holes. We had poked those holes in a very chaotic fashion to prolong the lives of our firefly friends. We giggled and ran and worked up a sweat as we chased for what seemed hours for a collection of little bugs that would bring our jars and our hearts lovely green light. They were fun to chase and a challenge to catch. The little creatures brought us so much joy. It was fascinating to watch them back in our bedroom as our jars became center stage for our entertainment. I heard once that a little girl collected fireflies and called them her little tinks, like Tinker-Bell in Peter Pan. Little Tinks. Little lights. Little jar-joy-makers. What a perfect description.
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