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This Kitchen Is for Dancing
My sister-in-law bought me a kitchen towel that says, “This Kitchen Is for Dancing.” Hmmm, she knows what happens in the Martin Kitchen on Thanksgiving. And every other day. Ha! See, my husband Bobby and I have a morning routine. I make the eggs. He makes the coffee. I make his lunch. He makes the toast. But somewhere in the middle of all of that? We dance! Sometimes, he plays music through the Bose. Sometimes, I play it through my vocal cords. One of our favorite songs to dance to is “Good Day” by Forrest Frank.” Am I weird? I always have a new favorite song in my head. Or…
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The Love Song of God
I heard an old, beloved Christmas carol sung a new way this past weekend. The original carol was “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear.” This carol describes an angel chorus singing God’s message of peace on the earth and goodwill to men, but their songs fall on the deaf ears of humans so immersed in wars and strife that they can’t hear the angel songs or God’s message of peace. The new version amplifies the same message with more understandable language. The part that got me? The new words that made my breath catch and my eyes fill? “And man at war with man hears not The love song which…
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For Such A Time As This
I’ve been eyeing this watercolor for a long time. I told myself that it’s outside my budget. And that I don’t really need it. But my husband splurged for my birthday, aaaaand it’s mine. I love it because it alludes to the story of Esther. It reminds me that perhaps… I was born for such a time as this. Might it be that you were, too? Esther’s Story Esther was an orphaned, exiled Jew in Persia in 479 B.C. King Xerxes had just banished his queen from the kingdom because she refused to “come before” him and his drunken friends one night. King Xerxes ordered all the beautiful women in…
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How To Stop Feeling Anxious Fast
It was April 2020, and my husband and I followed our usual morning routine of eating breakfast, watching the news, and getting ready for work. Suddenly, I started feeling sick; I was dizzy and breathing hard. I was just overwhelmed with anxiety. The news endlessly talked of the new virus and the number of cases and deaths. I was worried about my aging and vulnerable parents. On top of that, I was a key player on an important project at work, and a leader a ka-jillion levels above me had looked me in the eye the previous day and told me not to $#*& it up. I’m accustomed to pressure,…
