Scatter the flowers

  "Does someone need a hug?" ~Elf, to a raccoon Have you hugged today or been hugged?  Hugging is or should be a vital part of our existence.  Science says it produces "cuddle" hormones that relieve stress and endorphins that are more powerful than morphine. Apparently there is a 4/8/12 rule according to  Virginia Satir (author & psychotherapist):  We need 4 hugs a day for survival, 8 hugs a day for maintenance, and 12 hugs a day for growth. Sounds like hugging has a lot of benefits.   Don't you wish you could just send or receive hugs to people with more impact than an emoji?  Somehow the impact of 🙏 doesn't seem to convey the emotional support we need in times of distress and anguish.   At times, though well-meaning, the phrase "praying for you" can sometimes seem rote and convenient, when we may want to love on them or be loved by them more fully. How can we support and encourage friends and family when they are reaching out in ...

  "Good Friday is a day of hope disguised as sorrow." ~unknown Good Friday always seemed like an erroneous word to me when I first became a Christian.  It seemed like a day filled with whippings, wrongful accusations, hatred, torture, abuse, and crucifixion for our sinless Savior should never be labeled as good.  But then, as Peter was scolded in Matt 16:23 , I see that I was not setting my mind on things of God, but rather looking at things the way Satan would have them.    Christ Carrying the Cross, Luis de Morales 1565, Getty Museum In order for you and I today (as well as countless others in the past, here now, and in the future) to be able to be reconciled to God, Jesus had to fulfill these prophecies and die.  He had to sacrifice His sinless Self for our sin, deny His own comfort and power to overcome their evil, so we could be reconciled back with God and spend eternity in heaven. "So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal lif...

  "Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe; to know what he ought to desire; and to know what he ought to do." ~ St. Thomas Aquinas,     Thrice.  A magical number.  Research experiments are repeated three times to validate and verify. "Triangulate your evidence" was a phrase I used often in math class. If you recognize something that has bothered you three times, you find a solution for it.  Lionel Richie says you're three times a lady.  Lynyrd Skynyrd only needed three steps towards the door.  Don't forget the three coins in the fountain probably thrown by the three amigos.  And I would be remiss if I did not mention the delicious tres leches dessert.  OK, I'll stop. So what's the big deal about the number three? Well, besides the fact that it represents stability, the three primary colors, and defines the three dimensions we all live in, we put our faith in the Trinity.   Speaking...

  "The world needs strong women.  Women who will lift and build others, who will love and be loved.  Women who live bravely, both tender and fierce. Women of indomitable will." ~unknown "I'm tired and I don't care anymore".  Whaaaat? Those words have never come out of my mouth or floated in my head.  Not as an exhausted mom of 3 young kids; not as an 8th grade math teacher who just can't take it anymore in October, February and May; not as a small business owner attempting to get bookkeeping records to my accountant, every year at this time.  Never.   These words may have been offered up by me (and I'm guessing some of you) as a gesture of just plain giving up, surrendering all care, and admitting defeat in whatever the battle is.  Because I was just too darn exhausted.  Not exactly "indomitable will". Not the best battle tactic.  But how do we fight fatigue and our weak lackadaisical responses? Here we are in Women's History Month ...

  "We must warn the nations of the world that they must repent and turn to God while there is yet time." ~Billy Graham As a mom of three kids, I remember the challenge of chores, mealtime, then later homework.  My son gave me little resistance because he just wanted to get everything done so he could go out and play.  He used to say he didn't want to get older because he would have to work and couldn't play.  He knew how good kids have it.  Adulting - sometimes it's hard. Then, in a fleeting moment, all my kids were adults.   And "adult" things happened-major ones like the Columbine tragedy, Sept. 11, Hurricane Katrina, the Covid pandemic.    And more recently, wars, rumors of wars, more natural disasters, more killings.  This week we said 'no more' to a heinous, cruel, anti-Christ, anti-American and anti-Israel regime.  There is the possibility they may strike back.  How do we process it all? When things happening on the other...

  "Anything or nothing is sufficient to attract his attention." ~ Screwtape, the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis I watched about 15 minutes of Olympic curling this morning and left more  confused than ever as to how that "sport" is actually played. I don't get it.   Did you know the average Olympian has trained 2-4 hours a day in their sport, many from an average age of about 11?  The dedication and focus they show is to be applauded, sometimes only to end in disappointment and defeat.   Once in 6th grade I ran a mile and thought my chest was literally going to explode.  I took that as a sign to never repeat that task, ever.   The only thing since then I've done for 2 hours a day is eat.  But I guess I can't forget the hours I daily spent disciplining 8th graders.  Where's my gold medal? Here's some fun facts about the Olympics: 1- They took place originally over 6 months 2- Women couldn't always compete (shocking) 3- They we...