Tag Archives: Writing Challenges

P — Perspective… or is it Prestidigitation?

Posted on April 18, 2026 | 3 comments



Perspective.
Persistence.
Perseverance.

We’ve heard these words countless times.

Perspective, especially, has been written about, preached on, and analyzed from every angle. And rightly so—there is, as Ecclesiastes 1:9 reminds us, nothing truly new under the sun.

And yet…

Each of us moves through life convinced that our version is the version.
It’s like a family reunion with 28 different potato salads.
Aunt Marie insists hers is the best.
Uncle Mike adds his own twist.
And Tall Cool ☺ne? He doesn’t even like shrimp and grits—
but somehow Jody is still convinced:
“He’s never tried my shrimp and grits.”

Bless it.

Because in the end, shrimp and grits is still shrimp and grits,
and potato salad is still potato salad.

So perhaps—just perhaps—
it isn’t perspective that deserves our scrutiny.

Maybe it’s prestidigitation.

(Try saying that twice without stumbling.)

Sleight of hand.
Distraction.
The subtle art of directing your attention here…
while something entirely different unfolds there.

I came across the word in my old scrapbook dictionary. It stopped me. I looked deeper and found it still surfaces in unexpected places—even in games like Dungeons & Dragons, which says something about how long it’s been since I’ve rolled any dice.

But bring it back to our table.
Isn’t that what’s happening all around us?
We hear one narrative.
We see one angle.
We’re presented with one version.
But are we truly getting the full picture?
Or are we being guided… redirected…
captivated by something deliberately placed in front of us?

Because behind the table—
beneath the surface—
just outside the spotlight—
That’s often where the truth resides.
And if we’re honest, some days it’s easier not to look.
People hesitate before turning on the news.
Before asking the harder questions.
Not because they don’t care to know—
but because they’re beginning to question what they’re actually being shown… and told.

And then, just like that—

Surprise. A revelation!

Something unexpected pulled from the hat—
and no, it’s not a rabbit.


This isn’t limited to headlines or broadcasts.
It shows up in schools, in communities, in churches—
even within our most personal relationships.

So I’ll leave you with the same question I had to ask myself:
What’s your perspective?

Because it may not be about seeing more clearly—
it may be about recognizing what’s been hiding in plain sight all along.
Cheers,

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O — Ownership

Posted on April 17, 2026 | 4 comments



Every day, something shows up in our hands that looks like opportunity. Thomas Edison once said “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Most days it’s not opportunity at all.

It’s ownership…just dressed up a little prettier than a grungy old pair of overalls.

It’s ownership of what we said. Ownership of how we reacted. Ownership of the choices we made when nobody was watching—and nobody was warning us either.

Some days that feels like a win. Other days, it feels like something we’d rather hand back and pretend we never signed up for.

But it doesn’t work that way. If it’s yours… it’s yours.

Now it’s easy—real easy—to start pointing fingers when things go sideways. Blame your mother. Blame the system. Blame the fine print. Blame the timing, the people, the whole tangled mess of it. Blame our president because I’m sure a lot of us are (not ashamed to admit it).

I get it. I truly do.

I sit in front of a screen full of folks hurting and frustrated, wanting answers about why their insurance increased tied up neat with a bow…when the truth just doesn’t come packaged that way.

And if we’re really being honest here? Most of us don’t read the fine print until life makes us.

Not in contracts. Not in relationships. Not in the quiet, creeping consequences of our own decisions.

We want the harvest…
but we don’t always want to talk about what we planted.

But ownership doesn’t wait to be invited in.
Nope not at all. SURPRISE! It just shows up.

Every single time.

Scripture says it plain— Galatians 6:7
we reap what we sow.

No wiggle room. No small print tucked in the corner. No getting around it.

So maybe it’s time we stop calling everything an opportunity like it’s optional. And start calling it what it is.

Ownership. Own the choice. Own the consequence. Own the lesson that came knocking right behind it.

Because it will come— in hours, in days, sometimes in years. But it always comes. And when it does, you’ve got a decision to make— stand in it…or try to outrun something that already knows exactly where to find you.

Around here I don’t do much running anymore. I’m too old for that. I try to introduce things a little better. I try to choose my words a little wiser. I try really hard to bite my tongue when it doesn’t want to be bitten. And when I miss it—and I do and man that hurts but you know what? — I own that too.

Because that’s where the wisdom happens.

Not in the opportunity…

but in the ownership

Say it honest. Own it fully. Live through it.

How about you, where can you take ownership in missed opportunities?

Cheers,

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N — NO — The Boundary That Brings You Back to Yourself

Posted on April 16, 2026 | 7 comments


“Let your ‘Yes’ be yes, and your ‘No,’ no; …” — Matthew 5:37

No!

Not maybe.
Not “let me think about it,” (because I already know I’m overwhelmed).
Just… no.

Whew. That one will preach all by itself.

I’m being completely honest here, I’ve spent more time dressing up my yes than standing firm in my no.

I say yes when I’m already exhausted.
Yes when the day has wrung me dry.
Yes to cooking when my body is begging for rest.
Yes to one more conversation when I don’t have one more ounce to give.

And somewhere in all those yeses… I lose me.

The Bible doesn’t call us to be everything for everyone. It calls us to be honest, discerning, and rooted. That simple instruction in Matthew? It’s not just about words—it’s about alignment. No fluff. No guilt-driven commitments. No over-explaining to make others comfortable at the expense of our own peace.

Because here’s what I’m learning:
Every unnecessary yes chips away at something sacred.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” — Proverbs 4:23

Guarding your heart sometimes looks like closing your mouth.
Sometimes it looks like letting the dishes soak in the dishpan overnight.
Sometimes it looks like not writing that weekly letter.
Sometimes it looks like choosing rest over responsibility that was never yours to carry.

Even Jesus—yes, Jesus—stepped away.

“Very early in the morning… Jesus went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” — Mark 1:35

He didn’t meet every demand.
He didn’t chase every need.
He withdrew.

And if He made space to breathe… what makes us think we don’t need to?

Here’s the truth we don’t always like:
Not every request deserves a yes.
Not every moment is a yes season.

“There is a time for everything…” — Ecclesiastes 3:1

And sometimes, the holiest, healthiest, most honest thing we can say is no.

Not out of spite.
Not out of laziness.
But out of wisdom.

I’m still learning. Still catching myself reacting instead of responding. Still unlearning the habit of overextending just to keep the peace.

But I’m getting there.

Because no isn’t rejection.
It’s protection.
It’s clarity.
It’s control in its healthiest form.

And maybe—just maybe—
it’s the very thing that brings us back to ourselves.

How about you… do you struggle with saying no? Today is the day to make a change. Just say “Surprise! Today NO is the answer.” And stand firm on it!

Cheers,

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M — Motherhood — The Un-applauded Beginning

Posted on April 15, 2026 | 8 comments


Motherhood… or better yet—everything starts with her.

Yes, it takes two to bring a child into this world. But let’s not pretend the scales are balanced. Mothers carry the weight long before a baby ever takes a breath—stretch marks, sleepless nights, heartburn, worry that never clocks out. The list doesn’t end when the baby arrives… it just changes shape.

And then something subtle happens.

The toddler grows. Independence creeps in. Mom, once the center of the universe, becomes background noise. No surprise here. Snuggles on mom’s lap gets replaced by favorite toys. Afternoon tea parties get replaced by friends, grandparents feel like an adventure, and when Daddy walks through the door—it’s a celebration.

Mom?

She gets the questions.
The complaints.
The “Why isn’t this done?”
The “Spaghetti again?”

No applause for the one who never left.

I wasn’t a perfect mother. Not even close. Still not. There’s no handbook for this job—just trial, error, and a whole lot of praying you didn’t get it wrong. I made mistakes. Plenty of them. And I used to blame my own mother for mine—until time, faith, and a little humility taught me something different.

We all answer for our own choices.

My children are grown now. One is even a mother herself. They may not always understand me. They may not always honor me the way I once hoped.

But here’s the truth that doesn’t change:

I am still their mother.
And I will stand in that place—steady, present, unwavering—until I no longer can.

So here’s to the mothers…
The ones who don’t get the credit.
The ones who don’t hear “thank you” enough.
The ones who are always there, even when it isn’t easy.

Because whether anyone says it out loud or not—
everything still starts with her.



Cheers,

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J – Joy of Jaw-Jacking

Posted on April 11, 2026 | 7 comments

Maybe you’ve heard the term jaw-jacking. Usually it’s thrown around like a jab—talking too much, too long, when there’s life to get back to. From Maine, though? It’s less insult, more inherited trait.

My mother? She can jaw-jack like she’s getting paid by the minute. She’ll blame Aunt Margie every time—“Barbie, I got on the phone with her and she would not stop…”—and then proceed to give me a word-for-word dissertation like she’s submitting evidence in court.

Thirty minutes in, I’m glancing at the clock, mentally running through my to-do list, wondering how a quick phone call turned into a full-length documentary.

“Okay, Mom, I gotta go,” looking around the kitchen wondering how to mentally make the oven timer go off.

But see, time hits different when your schedule is wide open. So she pivots—doctor’s appointments for the next six months, the cat’s vet visit, the car’s oil change—like we’re mapping out a federal operation.

I try again.

“Alright, really, I’ve gotta get supper cooking. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

You’d think that would land it. It does not.

Surprise! Now we’re onto dinner. Not tonight’s dinner—no, no. We’re reviewing the past ten days of meals like it’s a highlight reel.

And later—later—she’ll say, “I don’t know why I can never get your Aunt Margie off the phone.”

That’s when I have to physically stop myself from laughing.

Because here’s the kicker—
it’s not Aunt Margie. It’s genetic.

Fast talkers, long talkers, can’t-find-the-exit talkers—it runs straight through the family line.

So tell me… do you have a jaw-jacker in your world? And while we’re at it—how in the world do you get your jaw-jacker to actually end the conversation? And be honest—are you sure it’s not you?

Because in New England, we don’t end conversations—
we just pause them long enough to call somebody else.


I hope this one made you smile just a little bit. Have a great weekend! See ya Monday with the letter K.

Cheers,

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I – Indian Smoke Signals

Posted on April 10, 2026 | 13 comments



Before I forget—because the world is strange and memories fade faster than they should—let me tell you about the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.

Tall Cool ☺ne saw it too, so at least I know it wasn’t just one of those overly vivid moments my imagination sometimes produces.

It was the morning of March 2. I remember because I had a mammogram appointment that day, which meant we didn’t have to start our walk quite so early. The light was already settling across the fields when we set out.

You know that pasture on Union Church Road—the one with the long driveway that curves up around the field? There’s a pond on the far side, and across the road sits that big brick house. Usually there are half a dozen black cows grazing out there like quiet witnesses to the morning.

In that pasture stand two trees.

And from one of them, I swear on my Bible, white smoke started pouring out.

Not a little mist. Real smoke. The kind you see when someone starts a fire and tosses leaves on top—thick, billowing, waiting for the flame to break through.

I stopped mid-step.“What in the world was that?” I asked. “Did you see that?”

Tall Cool ☺ne looked back at the tree. “Yeah… I saw it,” he said. “But I don’t know what it was.”

We both waited for flames.

None came.

The smoke simply vanished.

We kept walking, both of us a little rattled but trying to act like sensible people who hadn’t just watched a tree start smoking for no reason at all.

Then it happened again.

Another puff. Rising straight up from the same tree like something ancient trying to send a message skyward.

For a moment it looked almost deliberate… like Indian smoke signals.

And then, just like before—

the smoke disappeared.

No fire. No sound. No explanation.

Just two people standing in the quiet of a morning field, wondering if sometimes the world still whispers small surprises in ways we’ve forgotten how to understand.


Has anything like that ever happened to you? Something weird and unexplainable but awesomeness that you’ve never seen before? Share with me, I’d love to read about it!

Cheers,

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H — Honesty

Posted on April 9, 2026 | 5 comments



“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” — Thomas Jefferson



Honesty isn’t soft. It’s not polite. It doesn’t always come wrapped in kindness or tied with a bow. It’s the first chapter in wisdom—and most of us keep trying to skip ahead. We say we want truth, but what we really want is comfort. We ask questions we don’t actually want answered. “Do these make me look…?” Then we act surprised when we don’t get the answer we’re hoping for. That’s not honesty—that’s permission to stay comfortable.

Character, though—that’s the real thing.

Reputation is just the shadow it casts. And shadows shift depending on the light.

“And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” — Genesis 2:18

If I’m being honest (and that’s the whole point here), being a “helper” doesn’t always feel noble. Sometimes I want a helper because sometimes it feels like I’m the one who just does it all. But if I had a helper I’d still do it all because it’s easier than explaining, teaching, or trusting someone else to get it right. That’s not help—that’s control dressed up as sacrifice.

I’m not sugarcoating. It doesn’t protect anyone. It weakens the spine. Truth, spoken right, builds it.

So maybe the helper isn’t about “housekeeping”. It isn’t about sweeping floors or straightening rooms. Maybe it’s about clearing out the places where we’ve been avoiding the truth—about ourselves, about others, about what we know needs to change. Because if we’re honest… we already know. I know.

So what are you avoiding right now?
Where have you chosen comfort over truth?
And how long do you think that choice will hold?
Because honesty doesn’t wait forever.

He has a way of showing up—uninvited, undeniable, and right on time.
The only question is…
will you meet Him there,
or keep pretending you didn’t hear Him knocking?

Cheers,

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F -Faith

Posted on April 7, 2026 | 5 comments



Faith isn’t always the grand gesture, the bold declaration, or the dramatic leap into the dark. Sometimes it’s much quieter than that. Sometimes it’s simply a soft yes whispered during a morning prayer.

Yes, Lord. I trust You.

So often we place our hope in people. We trust that they will do the right thing. We believe they will follow through with what they say. We expect their actions to match our standards. And when they don’t, disappointment follows.

The truth is simple: people are messy.

Each of us lives by a different set of standards, shaped by our experiences, beliefs, and circumstances. It’s easy to assume that what seems obvious to us should be obvious to everyone else. But that assumption often leads to frustration. What feels right or natural to one person may not even cross another person’s mind.

Lately, I’ve been asking God to help me find peace in that reality. To be content with the standards I try to live by, while remembering that He created each of us uniquely in His image. No two people are the same. Like snowflakes, every life carries its own design.

It should come as no surprise. People will fail us. That is part of being human.

True faith isn’t about expecting perfection from others. It’s about trusting that God will give us the strength to accept what we cannot change. It’s about offering grace while others are still growing, still learning, still becoming who they are meant to be.

Because sometimes faith isn’t the moment we leap.

Sometimes it’s the quiet decision we make again and again — to trust God more than we trust people, to offer grace when disappointment would be easier, and to keep whispering yes even when the world feels uncertain.

And in the end, it’s those quiet yeses that shape who we become.

How about you? Where do you need to let it go and lay in God’s hands and have faith that He’s in control not you?

Cheers,

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E – Evolving

Posted on April 6, 2026 | 9 comments

Evolving
Growth is the point, not perfection.
Pen to paper.
Thoughts turning into words, ink pressing quietly into a page that will eventually outlive the moment that created it.
Every line carries a little hesitation, a little truth, and the occasional smudge where certainty once tried to live.
Headlines move faster than understanding.
News travels quickly, and judgment travels even faster.
The questions arrive on schedule: What have you done?
What could you have done?
As if the world were simple enough for clean answers.
History has never been that tidy.
Propaganda calls it saving a country.
Some are crowned heroes, others disappear into the quiet margins where the unsung always seem to live. Nations fight nations, while smaller wars unfold behind ordinary walls where no flags are raised but the stakes still feel just as high.
In war there are no true winners.
In the end, everyone falls in one way or another—some loudly, some quietly, but no one untouched.
The past, stubborn as ever, has a habit of repeating itself.
New slogans.
New voices.
Yet the same familiar pursuits continue circling the room:
power, recognition, control, wealth.
And somewhere between the noise of headlines and the echoes of history, a quieter realization waits patiently.
Perfection was never the destination.
But growth—
growth surprisingly leaves fingerprints on every page.


What do you think?  Are you evolving?  How are your challenges that you face going?  Let me know.

Cheers,

 

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C – Creatures of Habit

Posted on April 3, 2026 | 12 comments

 

There are two things people hold onto longer than they should:

Old sweaters…
and the phrase, “that’s just the way we’ve always done it.”

We are creatures of habit, and one of the hardest things for any of us to do is change. Over time, routine starts to feel less like a choice and more like a rule. Before long, we stop questioning it altogether.

It’s easy to make an idol out of routine.

I’m doing this challenge mostly because it’s something I’ve done for the past twelve years. Not because I expect a wave of new followers. Not because I think I’m suddenly going to make a bunch of new friends. And certainly not because I think I have some uncommon wisdom the world has been waiting for.

Although, if any of that happens, I won’t complain.

Mostly, I’m doing it because it’s what I’ve always done and it’s the only time I actually take the time to post regularly….Gosh I want to do more of this!!

How many times have you heard the phrase, “Well, that’s just the way we’ve always done it”?

Around here in the South, that line gets used so often it might as well be embroidered on a pillow somewhere. Tradition can be comforting, but sometimes it quietly keeps us locked into patterns we stopped thinking about years ago.

Think about holiday meals for a minute. Thanksgiving, for example: turkey, stuffing—or dressing depending on where you’re from—gravy, rice, collard greens, macaroni and cheese — the same sides every year.

Why?

Because that’s the way we’ve always done it.

Now we’re coming up on warmer weather, which means spring cleaning. Winter clothes get packed away, summer clothes come out, and the cycle continues.

But this year I’m trying something a little different.

If I didn’t wear a sweater all winter, it isn’t going back into storage. It’s going to Goodwill. Because honestly, if I didn’t wear it this year, why would I think I’ll wear it next year?

(I’m using that as my example… but I really am going to try.   Just like blogging all year, not just April.)

So here’s the question worth asking: what habits do you keep simply because that’s the way you’ve always done them?

Take a look at your routines. What’s one small thing you could change that might benefit you—or maybe someone else too?

Turns out spring cleaning isn’t just for closets.

Sometimes it’s for habits too. Surprise your spouse, or yourself.  Do something completely different than the way you’ve always done it.

Share some things with me that you are going to do different instead of because that’s the way you’ve always done it.  I’d love to read them.

Cheers,

PS Happy Good Friday.  † HE IS RISEN ♥  

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Image

Spring is Springing

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Posted on March 7, 2026 in #A2ZChallenge, A-Z Blogging, Writing

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2025 Reflections

Posted on May 2, 2025 | 9 comments

I have one of those addictive personalities.  I have to complete things I start!  Me and online games are like an alcoholic in a liquor store.  (NOT a good thing).  Back before the challenge I was hooked on this new game I downloaded on my phone.  Whiteout Survival.  (Maybe you’ve heard of it).  Well, it really is a cool game and a ton of fun.  But all good things come to an end and after a while the game started to be more like a job than a game.  There were politics of who you could and could not attack and when you could do it.  We had to complete certain tasks and do this or do that and it was not fun anymore so I deleted it. All that to bring me to my reflections on this year’s A-Z Challenge.  Blogging for me is fun and a hobby.  I don’t get paid for it and it’s not my job.

(I know I’ve posted this before but it’s worth repeating).We tend to follow blogs we are familiar and comfortable with. When visiting new blogs if it takes too much time to find the post or the beginning of the challenge, I leave.  If I can’t find out how to comment, I’m probably not going to spend time visiting again.  If I have to create a username or an account on that platform, forget it. (Sorry, I’m not doing that.)

Time is precious. We all want to make our minutes count. Once they are gone we can’t get them back. I know I am going to use my minutes on something I enjoy. If reading and commenting on a new blog is more like work than a hobby or enjoyment, I’m not going to do it.

If you want to catch up or you missed any of my A-Z posts here’s the quick links so you don’t have to go scrolling.  This is a pretty cool thing and I highly recommend doing it.  I love it when other bloggers do this because it helps me to “catch up”.

Armageddon Accountability  –  Broken – Character Building – Defer to Differ – Engage – Faithfully Fight Forever – Green Eyed Monster –Harbinger –Interpretation Impacts Others – Judgment – Kitschy vs. Knowledge – Listen Mentor – Nobody Noble –Obstacles = Opportunities –Philippians 4:6-7 –Quixotic – Reality Check –Sunshine me a Sonnet –Trellis –Unicorns –Vapor – Wisdom Welcomes Problems –Xenophile –Yellow Dot –Zapped

Usually I add links of fellow bloggers in my reflections post but I really did not have the time to visit too many so I don’t think it’s right to give shout outs.  However if you check out my N Post I did do some name dropping.  I’m hoping to be-bop around through the road trip however, I’m not going to sign up because it’s not fair to others.  I like to think that I can still do all the writing and reading that I used to do but as I have said before work really cuts into my fun stuff. Retirement will help I’m sure if that ever happens.

Questions from the A2Z Reflections Post:

  • Did you finish the challenge? Yes, see the badge?
  • What was your favorite post to write? Y- Yellow Dot
  • What was your favorite comment posted by another A-Z participant on your blog this April? I really don’t have a favorite but I was happy to learn a new word from my fellow blogger Donna who used curmudgeonly in a comment on Reality Check.
  • Did you follow the A-Z team on social media? (Who and where?)Not this year, although I used to follow Tamara on FB.
  • Did you follow the A-Z Challenge on social media? (Which platforms?)No but I shared mine on my Facebook page
  • Did you feel supported by the A-Z team? (The Team: Arlee Bird, J Lenni Dorner, Zalka Csenge Virág, John Holton, Jayden R Vincente, and Ronel Janse van Vuuren.) Yes
  • Did you like the graphics for this year? Yes very cool
  • Did you like the A-Z blog’s theme? Yes
  • Did you encourage other bloggers to take part in the challenge this year? Yes I talked my friend Nen into participating, and I was hoping she was going to use her talent at sharing artwork but maybe she will do that next year.
  • Did you have a theme on your blog? If so, how did you come up with it? Yes, Empathy was my theme because I wanted to learn how to be more empathetic.
  • Did you learn anything new because of the A-Z Challenge? Yes I learned empathy comes from experience, you can’t fake it or pretend that you have it, because it’s just rhetoric if it’s not real.
  • Will you consider doing the challenge again next year? Absolutely and I wish we didn’t have to wait a whole year…. maybe we should have one every six months?

That’s my reflection. I love this challenge because it gets me writing again and I need to do it more often so I’m really gonna try to do something maybe once a week…anything and I’m sure something will come to mind.  I appreciate each and everyone who joined me in my A-Z’s of Empathy and I’m telling you right now, next year, God willing, its gonna be something way more fun.

Cheers,

 

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Xenophile = Barbara

Posted on April 28, 2025 | 8 comments

Looking for words that start with X is always a chore for me during this challenge. Usually I cheat and do some sort of X marks the spot kind of adventure.  Today I dug out my trusty old Webster’s Dictionary and found that there are about 120 common words that begin with X.  The Oxford dictionary currently has 400.  Mindless useless information unless you are working on the X post for the A-Z blogging challenge.

This was definitely going to be a chore for me because this A-Z of Empathy that I chose for my A-Z theme has been somewhat of a struggle for me already.  I’m tired of empathy and I simply want to be done and write about puppies and rainbows and beer and skittles.  But then PTL! (Someone used that in a chat with me the other day and I had to ask them what it meant because I’m terrible at acronyms!)  The word was laid out in front of me almost on a silver platter.

Xenophile is someone who is attracted to foreign people, places and customs ~ isn’t that what empathy is all about?  Experiencing what someone else is living.

I may not eat some of the snacks of other countries and I’m probably not going to agree with the some of the punishments either, but because the punishment and the rules for certain crimes are different in our country, doesn’t mean it is the same in others.  This has been that way for thousands of years and the United States is not going to change it.  (Maybe other countries don’t want to be changed).  We can learn about it and we should respect it. Xenophile is how empathy should be.  We put ourselves in their place but it doesn’t mean the way we feel about a certain situation is the going to be the same way that person feels.  Love to learn it, try to understand it, but don’t try to change someone’s way of thinking to our way of thinking.

The even more interesting part about this word that I found, is that God even invites us into this.  Ephesians 2:19: “Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” I know, it’s deep isn’t it?   You know another interesting concept of the word Xenophile? The name Barbara, of Greek origin, means “stranger” or “foreign”. It derives from the Greek word barbaros, which was used by the ancient Greeks to refer to people who were not Greek.

Have you ever looked your name up to see what it means?  Does it match your personality? Do you ever empathize with someone but not actually feel how they feel? (How can we know exactly what they feel?  Everyone is different.)

Cheers ☺

   

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Wisdom Welcomes Problems

Posted on April 26, 2025 | 2 comments

 

Have you ever put a puzzle together?  Solved Rubiks’ cube? Have you completed a crossword puzzle?  Gained access to the next level of a video game?  Of course you have, we’ve all succeeded at some kind of challenge, right?

Every year I’ve been planting dill in my spice garden only to have a few sprigs come up randomly all over the place, never in the row that I plant the seeds.  Super frustrating.  I blamed the birds, the rain, and the wind. Before planting, I said to the packet of dill seeds, “You are gonna grow in two neat little rows this year!” I lined the garden with two rows of toilet paper, sprinkled the seeds over the top and covered with another row of paper and top soil. Watered and waited. There are two neat rows of dill sprouting from the garden.  Problem solved.

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.  That’s the message Tall Cool ☺ne’s mother wrote in the bible she gave me back in 2008.  I didn’t know the depth of its meaning back then. In fact I even wondered why anyone would fear the Lord.  God is good, why should we be afraid of Him? A wise man will hear and increase learning. Wisdom involves a change of behavior.  Change of behavior involves experience.  No one ever finishes wisdom, there’s always more to learn. The more we change, the more experience we receive and the better equipped we are to handle situations. Problems can be a ladder enabling us to climb up and see things from a different perspective.  Today’s A-Z of Empathy welcomes problems to gain wisdom and change perspective. The challenge encourages growth.

What challenges have you gained wisdom from?

Cheers,

   

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Sunshine me a Sonnet

Posted on April 22, 2025 | 3 comments

I promised sunshine and smiles today for the S post.  Or at least that was the last note I wrote in my blogging journal. Will you settle for a sunflower and a spider?  Today I really wanted to write a sonnet…

Could I walk in your shoes just for a day?  Would they be too small to fit on my foot? Could I fathom how the burden did weigh? Extending empathy with deep input.

Rose colored glasses are just tinted glass,  Help me see what you see, open my eyes,   Unknown becomes knowledge and will surpass Ignorance no longer hides in disguise.

That’s as far as I got with it.  I tried to go further but became distracted with the mail. (I think I’ve mentioned before I’m a huge letter writing fan). I’m so far behind on correspondence this month and I feel bad for not being a good pen pal.  But I received a surprise early birthday gift from my Auntie Margie yesterday and I cried (tears of joy). She sent me a new Bible.  If you could see my Bible, it’s falling apart and I bought a book cover/case for it to hold it together but it’s just a mess (picture the nerd with the papers going flying everywhere in the hallway at school).  I know they are the same words, but there is something about a new bible that just makes me want to read and explore more because each time I read scripture there is a new nugget revealed to me.

I was reading about King Solomon’s take on empathy in Ecclesiastes…I think he wrote the best sonnet ever (the book of Ecclesiastes). He said it best in Ecclesiastes 1:18 “For in as much wisdom is much grief and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”

Solomon was the wisest king in the bible and shared with us the knowledge he learned through his life of experience.  Despite the troubles that often plague our lives, we can still find pleasure and experience joy and rejoice in the gifts God has given us.

The thing I’m learning the most about empathy is experience.  The more things we experience the better equipped we are at delivering empathy.

Oh, and just a little side note.  A lot of my life lessons and experiences came from growing up with a strict step father… he was having me write a book for him before he died.  He never finished it, but I did publish what he had given me in honor of him.  He always said, “Live life to the fullest and be full of life while you live.”

All for now,

Cheers,

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Reflections: Spirit Feeding † Flesh Starving

Posted on May 5, 2024 | 5 comments

I had my thoughts all planned out on how my reflections post was going to play out. But then I realized I didn’t really answer any of the questions. So I’m copy & pasting question and answers after.

There is one thing that is certain in the world of blogging. Bloggers come and bloggers go. Some people can handle the isolation that comes along with being a blogger. Some can’t and so they move on to bigger and better and more instant gratification social media events. One thing is certain, change: it can be good, it can be bad, but it is inevitable.

We tend to follow blogs we are familiar and comfortable with. When visiting new blogs takes too much time to find the post or the beginning of the challenge, I leave.  If I can’t find out how to comment, I’m probably not going to spend time visiting again.  If I have to create a username or an account on that platform, forget it. (Sorry, I’m not doing that.)

Time is precious. We all want to make our minutes count. Once they are gone we can’t get them back. I know I am going to use my minutes on something I enjoy. If reading and commenting on a new blog is more like work than a hobby or enjoyment, I’m not going to do it.

I enjoy this challenge very much and I enjoy my fellow bloggers, who I visit and who visit me. I wish I had had more time to visit this year. (Work really cuts into my hobbies and things that I enjoy doing) Maybe next year will be different. I always say I’m going to blog more throughout the year, but somehow I just don’t seem to do it. Maybe this year will be different. Change is good, change is bad, and change is inevitable.

• Did you win? YES
o Did you post an alphabet of letter-inspired posts? YES
o Did you HOP to other A to Z participants? YES
• Do you believe your blog saw an increase in traffic and comments during April 2024? YES, because I don’t post much throughout the year.
o Did you check the MasterList to be sure your entry was correct? YES and it is.
• Do you feel the A to Z Team (Arlee Bird, J Lenni Dorner, Zalka Csenge Virág, John Holton, Jayden R Vincente, and Ronel) supported you, your blog, and this challenge enough in 2024?John visited often (thanks, John) 
o What changes do you hope the team might consider for next year? Maybe ask if more people want to be involved with helping support the new bloggers who join.  Example have each team member have a team of  “helpers per say”.  Separate the list of challengers and divide that list and give them to the “team helpers” that way they would be responsible to for visiting each and every post.  I don’t know, just thinking out loud.
 Will you do the challenge again next year? YES
o Did you use the http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/2024-graphics.html Graphics page? YES
 Is the HTML useful to you? NO I just copy and paste.
 Are there any other images or graphics the team could offer to help you? What other images or graphics are there?
o Any suggestions for the team? GO TEAM
o Any thanks? Thank you team for all you do.  AND THANK YOU to my fellow bloggers who visited consistently and commented and offered encouragement.  I appreciate you all, and wish I had visited more.  I could tell you my excuse, but everyone has those and in the end they don’t really matter.  
o Any requests for the 2025 team’s theme? (The posts you’ll see on this site in April.) What was the theme this year?
o Any post ideas or requests for our monthly posts on the blog from June to February? Little challenges to get us involved.  Writing prompts, add a picture, create a poem, think of a new game.  Just “tossing it out there”.  ☺
 (Guest posting requests? Poke team captain J!  https://jlennidorner.blogspot.com/)  POKE POKE POKE
o Have you followed the social media of the A to Z Challenge? YES, but I really hate social media lately.
• What was your favorite comment left by another A to Z participant on your blog during the challenge? 🏆 I love all comments that are left on my posts, with the exception of premade copy and paste comments that you see on everyone else’s posts.  “Visiting from A-Z, good luck” and then they post their link.  It’s like they didn’t even read the post.  Just they just commented to comment and to get traffic to their blog. 
• Did any other A to Z participant make you and your blog feel especially valued this year?  All of my regulars make me feel valued.  Love you guys.
• Do you have a favorite blog that you found during the challenge this year? YES!
• Do you feel you had a positive impact on the Blogging Community during the hop?Probably not anymore than anyone else.
• Did you invite or encourage any other bloggers to join the challenge? YES
• Have you learned anything because of the #AtoZChallenge? YES, time is precious.
• Did you use a theme in 2024? Any thoughts on themes? YES, if I use a theme in the future, my posts will have to be done ahead of time.  It just didn’t work for me this year. I find a lot of my writing comes out best when it is spontaneous.
• Was taking part in the challenge a positive experience for you and your blog? YES, I love this challenge.
• Consider the significance of the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge, our values (community and inclusion), and your feelings about the experience. How may this influence your future blogging, learning, or actions? I really want to write more throughout the year.  We have a group among us who care about each other and offer support and encouragement.  That is important.  Even if we only get together April, I bet a lot of us could reach out with a post in the middle of the year and the true supporters of this community would be there in a heart♥beat.
• Any other thoughts, feelings, and reactions to the #AtoZChallenge 2024? Can we do APRIL CHALLENGE IN AUGUST?  
• Will you consider doing the challenge again next year? YES

Visit others in the reflection hop!
Cheers,

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Surrendered: Spirit Feeding † Flesh Starving

Posted on April 22, 2024 | 1 comment

Melvin Naylor’s Memoirs is available to purchase on Amazon.

Have you?
Have you? (Asking for a friend.)

I know you don’t want to hear me preach and I can’t help it. One year ago today my step-father left this world. Took his last breath and went wherever he was destined to go. I know people like to think when a loved one dies they automatically go to heaven or in some cases, if you’re Catholic, you might go to purgatory. It is not automatic and I’m sorry folks, purgatory is non-existent.

Back in 2012 Dad asked me if I would help him write his memoirs. I said I’d love to. He would email me almost every day from his apartment in Sanford, Maine and I would put the emails together in reading format, mostly correcting the spelling and punctuation. (He only went to school as far as the 8th grade). I remember at one point he wrote that he only had another 11 years or so. I thought he was just saying that. How did he know that?

Wouldn’t it be nice to know for sure that you are going to heaven when you die? Wouldn’t it be nice if your loved ones knew how to find you? Wouldn’t it be cool to say, “YES, I’ll see you in heaven”?

My stepfather died and I do not know for sure if I will see him in heaven. I talked with him hours before he passed and prayed with/for him. Whether he surrendered or not, God only knows.

What about you? Have you surrendered? Today is the day of salvation. We do not know what tomorrow or even the next 60 seconds will bring. Don’t wait any longer. Repeat after me.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. ~AMEN

Cheers,

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge.  Don’t forget to visit some of the other bloggers in the challenge and also check out Crackerberries Kitchen!

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Recognize: Spirit Feeding † Flesh Starving

Posted on April 20, 2024 | 2 comments

Recognize the beauty in all things

**Side note ↑ I took that picture yesterday from my flower garden.  First one this year. ♥

Yesterday I was talking with Tall Cool ☺ne about the challenge and how I never know what the next day is going to bring. I said I thought I was going to have this buttoned up and all my posts were going to be ready so that I could breeze through the challenge.

”Maybe this is not what God wants you to do,” he suggested.

I pondered that for a moment and my perception to what he said was that God didn’t want me to write anymore. NO! I don’t think he would have given me all of these great blogging years to just hang it all up now because I’ve had a little writer’s block. I recognize that sometimes we have to accept what it is. Some days are better than others and the words will flow out like no body’s business. Other days a little more effort will need to be put forth.

I recognize that. There is beauty in everything and if we accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference, we got it made.

What things are you recognizing through the challenge this year? Tell me about it.

Cheers,

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge.  Don’t forget to check your spam folders for comments (I actually found quite a few) and also check out Crackerberries Kitchen!

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Oy Vey: Spirit Feeding † Flesh Starving

Posted on April 17, 2024 | 3 comments

My French teacher used to use this term a lot back in high school. She was forever saying, “Oy Vey” or “Mon Dieu”! I never really thought too much about it until later in life I found myself mimicking her “oy vey” or “oi, yoi yoi”. Interestingly enough, it means woe is me.

It’s first found in Psalm 120:5 ~Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, the intensity of the psalmist’s distress — woe is me. If you continue to read you will see that the writer is for peace, but he lived amongst pagan people.

I found myself uttering “Oy Vey” when I realized I had nothing for O. I even made up a recipe for the kitchen today. Then in the midst of thinking I had nothing I realized I had everything. “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” 1 Corinthians 9:16.

For those who have God on their side, He always comes through. I love my God. He is amazing and I will preach until the day is long. I have nothing without Him but with Him, everything is possible.

Be encouraged!

Cheers,

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge.  Don’t forget to visit some of the other bloggers in the challenge and also check out Crackerberries Kitchen! 

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Milestone: Spirit Feeding † Flesh Starving

Posted on April 15, 2024 | 4 comments

A milestone is a significant point in development. I have mixed emotions as I write this post because it seems a bit lame and not really part of the theme. But a lot of my posts have gone astray as far as my theme is concerned. I suppose that’s the way of the pen. Sometimes we have plans set in motion and what our plans are, are not what happens.

Making it to M is a milestone for all who have made it this far. Don’t meander now! We are at the middle of the road…the half-way mark. Give yourself a big pat on the back. Good job! Keep the motivation going, you can do this (this is what I’m telling myself as I write this post at 3:30 AM on a Monday morning) before I put my sneakers on to take that 4 mile hike with Tall Cool ☺ne.  I love it when we get to the half-way mark.

God says, “be still and know…”

Cheers,

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge.  Don’t forget to visit some of the other bloggers in the challenge and also check out Crackerberries Kitchen!

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Jury Duty: Spirit Feeding † Flesh Starving

Posted on April 11, 2024 | 4 comments

Be back tomorrow.

(I really don’t have Jury Duty, I’m just using it as an excuse) I did once about 25 years ago. It was an interesting experience. Not sure if it still works the same but back then if you were picked for Jury Duty, your employer still had to pay you for not working. So I’m using it as an excuse today because for the love I could not come up with anything to write today.

I even went to my “Journal with Crackerberries” for an idea but muse did not want to cooperate. So I’ll be back tomorrow. Not sure what’s going on over in Crackerberries Kitchen.

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge. Visit some of the other 218 bloggers who signed up for the challenge!

Cheers,

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Gratitude Journal: Spirit Feeding † Flesh Starving

Posted on April 8, 2024 | 4 comments


I have found that when things get overwhelming and I’m at my wits end, I have to pause. I pick up my journal and I write. I do this on a daily basis. I have multiple journals. One for every day venting, a prayer journal, a backyard critters journal, a flower journal, recipe journal and one that I don’t use often enough, a gratitude journal. Sometimes I think we all take our days for granted. What am I grateful for today?

• I woke up: another day to bring glory to God.
• Running hot water: third world countries are lucky to have fresh cold water.
• Electricity: that snow storm in Maine still has many customers without power.
• A home, a work at home job, my husband (not necessarily in that order).
These are creature comforts and that list could go on and on. What about God’s creation? What about all He has done for us?

Yesterday I was playing in my flower garden, planting zinnias and Dalia’s. While I was digging in the dirt I could hear buzzing and noticed a huge bumble bee working in the azaleas. A butterfly flitted around my head as if to say thank you for these flowers. I noticed a family of Gold Finches vying for dibs on the bird feeder, their bright yellow feathers stood out in the background of the blue sky. The beauty of creation, God’s painted artwork left a lasting impression.

When we start feeling overwhelmed, overworked, unappreciated, and sorry for ourselves — pause. Take a moment and be thankful. It always helps change my attitude. What kind of things would you put in your gratitude journal?

PS If you are in the path of the Total Eclipse today, be sure to wear eye protection!

Cheers,

 

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge.  Don’t forget to visit some of the other bloggers in the challenge and also check out Crackerberries Kitchen! 

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Dragooned: Spirit Feeding † Flesh Starving

Posted on April 4, 2024 | 3 comments

Sometimes I get dragooned into feeling like no matter how much I do it’s not good enough.   My mind wonders back to things I did in the past that I regret. Satan will do that…”he walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he might devour.” Tell us that we are not good enough. Remind us of all those things we  that we don’t like to remember, things that if we could go back in time we might do them differently.

Before I was saved I went to an ATM to withdraw cash for something that I most likely shouldn’t have been doing. When the bills spat out I was surprised to see a $100 bill in the midst of the $20’s. Instead of the $80 I intended to withdraw, I ended up with $160. WOW, right?   I contemplated it for a minute. Don’t ask me what I was thinking because obviously I was not. Maybe I thought the machine knew it spit out a $100 bill instead of a $20 bill and was going to deduct it from my checking account.  I don’t know but I took the bills up to the cash register (it was some rinky-dink store in east-bum-ville) and told the cashier that there was a mistake dispersing the money. You can imagine the look on their face, first it was confusion and then lit right up with “oh I will take care of that for you”. They gave me a $20 for the $100 bill. Back in the early 90’s that was a steal!

Sometimes I think about that Satan dragoons me into thinking I was stupid. ATM’s are serviced by third party companies not the stores. Maybe it wasn’t the ATM incident so much but the activity I was planning to do.  Either way Satan is dragooning me trying to make me regret what I did. When I start thinking about that one thing it leads to another and it turns into a snowball effect.

I listened to my conscience. That cashier made a nice tip that day. Maybe they were in a bind. Maybe that $80 bought diapers and formula for a baby, maybe it paid a light bill. I don’t get to know now.

We all have a little voice that tells us what is right. We have a little voice that likes to dragoon us.  We get a choice. Which one are you going to listen to?

Cheers,

 

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge.  Don’t forget to visit some of the other bloggers in the challenge and also check out Crackerberries Kitchen!

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