This page will soon have a list of books that discuss peace in action and thought, social justice issues, compassion and other thought-provoking topics. I expect to have this updated by the end of January 2026!
All Posts
New Year, New You? Hmmm… Maybe….
Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a HUGE fan of the new year. I always get a new weekly planner every September, and immediately start decorating every weekly layout and filling it in with important dates, upcoming activities, to-do lists, and other things. I also create a yearly Uberlist (inspired by Nikol Lohr back […]
One Bulb at a Time: A Lesson in Gentle Gardening
Spring is officially here – and (for me) that means endless hours of digging and spreading soil, arranging plants and seeds and hoping against hope that this season will not face the wrath of Oklahoma’s temperamental proclivities. It could hail in June… we could have gusts of wind so strong they blow away oversized ceramic […]
A Lesson in Tough Self-Love
I visited my physician a couple of days ago for my six-month checkup. I already knew what I wanted to talk about before I even walked into the office… my weight. My physician didn’t even attempt to soothe my ego or placate me with flattering words like the nurse did when she took my blood […]
A Bridge Built from Compassion Will Never Collapse
Today, my husband and I took his mother grocery shopping. She is well into her silver years, and does not move as quickly as one would hope. Every decision is deeply contemplated and often forgotten later, every movement is deliberate and cautious, and random items that catch her eye will be the subject of a […]
A Growth Mindset in the Wake of Disappointment
I’ve had a disheartening week. My garden… my pride and joy… has been attacked by squash vine borers. I am a novice gardener, and I wasn’t aware that they even existed until I noticed that my gorgeous spaghetti squash plant, which I had grown from seed and carefully nurtured, was looking somewhat brown and wilted […]
The Beauty of Slowing Down
Yesterday, my husband and I took our canoe to a nearby lake that is popular with campers and boaters alike. We’ve been there many times – sometimes the waters are still and silent, but other times there’s been motorboats and jet skis whizzing everywhere. All of us have a great time, regardless of our mode […]
The Unexpected Face of Compassion
A couple of months ago, I was cleaning up our yard when I encountered something that deeply saddened me. A tiny deformed baby bird was lying dead, a few feet from a nest that a robin had built on the porch light of our back porch many moons ago. This nest has been used every […]
Trimming the Branches
This morning, I took on the arduous task of trimming back my cherry tomato plant. It’s been needing a trim for a long time, and was starting to take over the greenhouse deck, the strawberry plants, the lemon cucumber plant, and was dangerously encroaching on spaghetti squash territory. I have been frantically harvesting those sweet […]