Let's be Real

  • "Life" Books,  Children,  Consider This...,  Jesus,  Let's be Real

    Peace like a Child

    I come to you today, having had a vast array of emotions and feelings over the past several days. Don’t worry, I’m not going to get into why or who or what my emotions and feelings are towards, because the truth is peace can’t be found from people, places, things, policies, etc. However, I will begin by sharing that I have allowed people and policies, especially, to really disrupt my peace. And I have had to ask for forgiveness and confess I have lost sight of the ONLY ONE who can provide perfect peace, my Abba Father. Who when I have become quicker to run to as the week has…

  • "Life" Books,  Jesus,  Let's be Real

    A Bible, A Window, and A TV

    “When I am resting because my body is weak, I need to remember that I’m not wasting the day doing nothing. I am doing exactly what I need to do. I’m recovering.” We are fifteen days into 2025 and I don’t know about you, but I am emotionally, physically, mentally weary and fatigued. This is not a complaint, but a fact about the happenings in our state, nation, and world. It’s a fact about my personal health and health of my family. Fact is fact. I missed writing you last week, because if you remember my Christmas post I had mentioned I was referred to a cardiologist. Everything is fine!…

  • "Life" Books,  Let's be Real,  Pass it On...

    Peaceful Rest

    “You can eat all the kale. Buy all the things. Lift all the weights. Take all the trips. Eliminate all negativity. Wash your face. Be productive. But if you don’t rest your soul in Jesus, you’ll never find peace and purpose.” – Unknown We can vote, and yes, we should. We CAN. I’ve had what my Paw-Paw would call the “creeping crud” this week. Covid tests are negative. And I am proudly fully vaccinated. So resting and weathering this one out. But today’s post is short and sweet. And with a little help from some of my favorite YouTube/podcast/Patreon people, I hope this video will encourage you as it did…

  • "Life" Books,  Chronic Illness,  Grief,  Jesus,  Let's be Real,  Migraines,  Pass it On...

    All You had to do was Ask

    “God kept me close and gave me space all at the same time: to ask the questions, to express my anger, to tell him I didn’t understand. He didn’t, and doesn’t, hold it against me or use it to manipulate me into belief. God used this horrific, awful, inexcusable thing that happened to me to replace my shallow faith with one that could, and did, persist through anything. It doesn’t mean the pain hurts less, or that my disability doesn’t still affect my life every single day. It doesn’t even mean the PTSD and the anxiety and fear come any less often. It does mean when those things come and…

  • "Life" Books,  Children,  Consider This...,  Let's be Real,  Pass it On...

    Listen. Hear. Speak.

    Hurting someone can be as easy as throwing a stone in the sea. But do you have any idea how deep that stone can go? Do we really realize the profound effect of our words and actions? This question has been on my mind repeatedly over the last couple of weeks. The election is closing in and here in North Carolina the commercials and campaigning is like never before! The seemingly eagerness to spread lies and misinformation is downright despicable! I cringe and my hands tremble as I write this sentence. A few weeks ago I wrote about we are in a crisis for truth. Then I wrote about Word…

  • "Life" Books,  Aunt-ing,  Children,  Family,  Friends & Neighbors,  GRANDparents,  Let's be Real

    Crisis of Truth

    A few reasons I share this today: The excitement of guiding children to learn to open themselves up to a vast array of experiences, however that may look or sound or feel, is overwhelming to me. To get to know them, the way they learn, and then engage them – whether it be through books, or pictures, or music, or items from a certain place to explore with our senses – these moments are untouchable, irreplaceable. For me as a kid magazines kept my attention. Both sets of grandparents gave me a subscription to a magazine every year – Highlights and American Girl – were the two I chose. And…

  • "Life" Books,  Consider This...,  Let's be Real

    All is Grace.

    Hi, I am Anna. A sinner saved by the amazing grace of my Heavenly Father. I share the above excerpt from Frederick Buechner’s book for a couple reasons: 1. I believe AA does some incredible work. (There are some things that must be set aside to see the GREATER work being done!) 2. Alcoholism is real, very real. Alcohol is very real also, we don’t get alcoholism or alcoholics without alcohol. 3. I want to make clear that today’s post is going to be me pouring out the intentions of where my heart, mind, and soul lands with the subject of alcohol. By no means am I passing judgement, or…

  • "Life" Books,  Family,  Friends & Neighbors,  GRANDparents,  Grief,  Let's be Real,  Mommy

    Storm Warning!

    Let me start off by saying, I love a good rainstorm! Some of my favorite days and best memories are days with my parents, grandparents, brother, kids I kept, my little girl, my niece and nephew and cousins, just dancing in the rain or simply watching the rain and clouds pass over. Sweet front porch sitting, one of Lucy’s and my niece and nephew’s favorite activities when they were little 😊 Tornados… Hurricanes… these come with the wonderful place I call home. I have watched and lived through many.  Loss is always a part of storms and the news coverage and stories afterwards.  In 2018, there were two hurricanes that hit,…

  • "Life" Books,  Consider This...,  Let's be Real

    Unity! Where?

    “NaNa, let’s hold hands like a family.” One of my greatest delights is when a child feels safe enough to just grab my hand without another thought. We ask them to hold ours a lot, out of caution when cars are near or when in a crowd. When they unconsciously or consciously seek out a hand to hold, most likely they are in need of a little bit of reassurance that someone is close and they are safe. In my opinion, there is no better feeling than a tiny hand sliding into mine and wrapping there little fingers around my hand. Pure Joy! When my niece was little (little-little, like…