It was my first time in the Ahwahnee bar, that cold March night in quiet Yosemite Valley. We were lucky enough to know locals on that first visit, and they wisely advised us that an inexpensive way to enjoy the historic Ahwahnee Hotel was to linger over a nice cocktail. It was warm and dark in the bar, with a motif of dark wood and what I remember to be deep red curtains lining the floor-to-ceiling windows and back wall. It had the aura of a place that had hosted many conversations; many deep thoughts; and many bodies tired from
Read moreEverything about Thanksgiving reminds me of someone… The pile of recipes in my recipe book, written by my best friends from college; a recipe for curry sauce I first ate at a friend’s house 20 years ago; family recipes from my mom and mother-in-law… Making stuffing and hearing my mom’s voice telling me to, “Yes, melt a whole stick” of butter in the pan, bucking my low-fat diet of the 1990s. Pies…and how my mom would give each of us a little scrap of leftover dough to roll out, spread with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. I would roll
Read moreHome ownership came with a lot of life lessons, especially concerning our septic system. As a kid, I’d always grown up with the convenience of sewer lines…you flush the toilet, and it all disappears. It turns out that septic systems require a bit more attention. Unfortunately, I didn’t discover this until four years into home ownership, when our septic lines started failing, leaking sewage into a nearby stream. It wasn’t good. I don’t remember the name of the man who taught me how to take care of my septic system, but I remember one thing: He was passionate about them.
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Faith, Joy, More Posts, Work
Life started out with great, big dreams… When I was a teenager, I dreamt of being an anchor person for the Today Show. A small-town girl, I longed to live in New York City: a place full of nightlife, action and the endless possibility of being “discovered” and made instantly famous. That dream came to a halt my freshman year in college when I worked at my college TV station. I found myself surrounded by cranky, stressed-out people who agonized to produce a newscast every night at six, only to have to do it again, and again, and again…a never
Read moreIt’s inevitable. Despite the copious amounts of Airborne I have injested in the last five days, my body has succumbed to a cold. It’s a nagging, dragging sort of cold that leaves me wanting to do nothing other than sleep. Except I’m a mom…and everyone knows motherhood doesn’t stop, just because you’re sick! And I am sick. Still, work must be done, dinner needs to be made; the dishes need to be washed; and kids need to be read to, and kissed goodnight, when all I want to do is go to sleep. I’m partly writing this blog post to
Read moreIf you are an over-achiever who thrives on affirmation and acknowledgement of a job well done, then this article is for you. You probably were up late folding the last two loads of laundry; or working on a project (like a blog post); or planning out your next day’s meals… You may be a person who makes so many lists that you need a list to organize your lists. You are quick to take on new responsibilities, especially when you can see clearly how to make something better or easier. And you are probably very, very tired. You probably don’t
Read moreGrace settles softly, A cheerful chirp like delight mixed with my cynical disbelief. I deserved so much worse; I was waiting for so much more. Grace breathes Her life into crushed hopes, a gentle whisper at a time; A friendly whiff of encouragement once, twice, until… Grace begins to live a life of Her own; Outside of me, Yet from me And I lay myself down again to be this channel of Grace, This echo of Hope, one decisive moment at a time. Susan Seiling, 2018
Read moreFollowing recent mass shootings, I’ve seen dozens of posts stating that “thoughts and prayers” are a cop-out; That we need laws and to DO SOMETHING, DO ANYTHING to prevent such devastation from happening again. It’s a month into high school, and we’ve already received four calls from the principal about (unsubstantiated) violent threats, and news that a smart and dynamic boy committed suicide. Our society is broken. Kids in America have more stuff and activities than any generation in history…and they are killing themselves and each other. There are so many people who are hopeless, mentally exhausted and wracked with
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The rooms were bursting with donations for the thrift store. The food pantry’s shelves stretched in long lines: a bounty of canned goods, foods, fresh meats and vegetables, diapers and toiletries. People sat, waiting to speak to staff members to discuss their needs. Some wore looks of despair; Others had a sense of calm, knowing they had come to a place that would help. I walked through the operation, seeing more and more bounty; more and more good; more and more tangible, practical THINGS people needed to live their lives, and it was truly like seeing a storehouse of God.
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It’s been 23 years since the last time I applied for a job. Back then, you filled out a paper application with a pen, neatly writing your name, home phone and address, along with all of the other information they required. Penmanship mattered…if the employer couldn’t read your phone number, you may never hear from them. Resumes were printed carefully on a laser printer at Kinko’s (not the dot-matrix printer most people had at home) on bonded resume paper, then mailed in a matching envelope. Weeks would go by, without knowing if the person received the application, or what may
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