Wacky Word of the Day

NUMEN (noun) = a divine power or spirit often identified with a natural object, phenomenon, or place (Use this word in a sentence and you’ll be entered in this month’s drawing for one of my books!)

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The Toughest Woman I’ve Ever Known… My Mom

I’ve dreaded this day for a long time, the day I would say goodbye to Mom – to both my parents, actually.  Just 15 months ago I said my final farewell to Daddy. I now begin a new chapter in my life; it is going to be very different. My mother was the toughest person I have ever known, probably ever will. I lost count, but over the last year she had a least a dozen surgeries and was hospitalized or in the ER many, many times. You know you are spending too much time at the hospital when the parking attendants know your first name. Mom endured dialysis for her […]

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Aging is no Laughing Matter… Or IS It?

I turned 52 yesterday…yikes. I used to think people in their 50s were lame and already had one foot in the grave. Well, now I’m there and it happened in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, I’m nowhere near a cemetery (she says crossing her fingers) and I’m still pretty cool – in a middle age kind of way, that is. Admittedly, I don’t let my bra straps show, I don’t have any tattoos or piercings on my face, I prefer Aerosmith to Nicki Minaj, and my goblet holds a dry Chardonnay instead of Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill, but I do have my contemporary moments. My kids tell me I’m […]

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MAN DOES THE UNTHINKABLE TO STOP HIS DRUG ADDICTION

After more than twenty-three years addicted to methamphetamine and other drugs, David Parnell put an SKS assault rifle under his chin and pulled the trigger. The blast took off half his face, yet somehow he survived. Following an afterlife experience where he briefly experienced both hell and heaven, David woke up in the hospital. He was changed forever, both physically and emotionally. In 2010, David Parnell and I wrote his memoir, FACING THE DRAGON: How a Desperate Act Pulled One Addict Out of Methamphetamine Hell, about his horrific drug addiction and dual suicide attempts. In Facing the Dragon, you will witness the slow, agonizing metamorphosis of a good-looking high-school athlete into […]

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WACKY WORD OF THE DAY JANUARY CONTEST WINNERS!

Hey all you Wacky Word lovers! I have just conducted the official WACKY WORD OF THE DAY random drawing for the month of January. If you’ll recall, anyone who used the daily word in a sentence and posted it on one of my social media sites (Facebook, Linkedin, Google+, or Twitter, or here in my blog, is entered in the drawing. The more times you enter, the better your chances! The winner can choose any one of my books, for FREE! Thank you all so much for participating… we had an amazing 54 entries, even though the contest didn’t start until the middle of the month! So, instead of giving […]

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SILENCE IS GOLDEN

For an overachieving, working mother with a “Type A” personality and a tendency toward anxiety, the concept of being still is rather foreign … and a little frightening.  Like so many Christians, I can be silent and listen to God for oh, about 15 seconds, before the noise of my over-stimulated mind breaks in.  So imagine putting me in a place for 36 hours where true silence and isolation are observed?  Then consider that this bona fide city girl would have no electricity or indoor plumbing and you’ll get an idea of how daunting the whole concept was for me. But that’s exactly where God led me.  Finding myself at […]

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WACKY WORD OF THE DAY RECAP – Week of January 20

Here’s a recap of the crazy words included in this week’s WACKY WORD of the Day. Don’t forget the contest: use any of these words in a sentence and you will be automatically entered in this month’s drawing to win one of my books. We’ll begin a new monthly contest in February. There is still time to add your sentences as comments to this blog posting or on my other social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin). MONDAY — MINIM (adjective) = a musical half note or something very small or insignificant TUESDAY — FLANEUR (noun) = an aimless idler or loafer. THURSDAY — HAIMISH (adjective) = homey, cozy FRIDAY — […]

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ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM MARITAL DISCONNECT?

My husband and I have been together for thirty years (wait… what in the world?) and during that time we have experienced many valleys and mountain tops in our relationship. We struggled the most when we didn’t spend time together. Many couples feel like two ships passing in the night… radar might indicate there’s another vessel out there, but they can’t see or hear one another.  In fact, they may be on a collision course without even knowing it. The pace of our lives has become frantic—climbing the corporate ladder, raising overscheduled kids, trying to be the volunteer of the year—it’s no wonder we have precious little time for our spouse. Good […]

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