Stirred But Not Shaken

Today I am teaching my kids one of the most important lessons in life: grace.   The kids were just all over the place in Walmart, not a place I go to often, but it is an occasional necessity. My patience was being tried. There is a Dunkin' Donuts at the entrance and my boys are fond of the strawberry frosted with sprinkles. I stopped. I really don't want to buy donuts. My body doesn't need it, and the kids' behavior was less than stellar.   When I pulled my youngest aside, I asked him, "Does your behavior deserve a donut?"  "No." and his eyes just began to fill with tears.  "Look in my eyes," I instructed. "You are right. You don't deserve a donut, but I am going to give you a donut. I am going to give you something good that you don't deserve,  because I love you.This is what grace is." I could see the relief as his body relaxed.  I further explained to my eldest that mercy is not getting something bad that you really des...

...from my friends who are writers that this adventure of writing goes in fits and starts. Inspiration can come and go, and there are periods of seemingly endless thoughts to jot down and yet there are times when those words to find are far and few between. Sometimes, there just isn't much to say.  The latter was the response I gave a reader who told me that she kept checking for new posts and there weren't any, and she didn't want to miss what came next.  My last post , at least to me, seemed like a dropped bomb; it was one of my most read posts. What comes next. What comes next? That's a really good question.  Over the weekend a friend posted about a favored spot overlooking the ocean. I figured it wasn't easy to get to, but I'm up for an adventure, so I asked and was given a couple of key details that helped me find it. My Sunday afternoon plans with some girlfriends were cancelled at the last minute, and this seemed like just the kind of place I ...