Tag: gratitude

Pain and joy exist simultaneously. I’d say I wish it weren’t true. I’d say I wish I could just have the joy without the pain, but then I guess the reverse would also have to be true.

I’d have to accept the pain without the joy.

Where would that have left me during my breast cancer diagnosis? Where would that leave you ... Read More


Do you care what God thinks about your behavior? Or do you feel like he’s let you down one too many times and you’ve earned the right to make your own decisions without his pesky guilt trying to trip you up?

The funny thing about God is if you ask him to leave you alone, he usually will. I’ve seen plenty ... Read More


For most of my adulthood, I have mistakenly believed that kindness flows from the excess in my life.

I have extra money, I can throw a little in the jar.

I have extra time, I can offer to take a neighbor to the store.

I have extra energy, I can volunteer to read to my son’s class.

Scarcity is scary. Maybe that’s why the ... Read More


Little Jordan Phillips is $645 and one day away from being the top fundraiser for the Komen Athens Race for the Cure. As a mom, how can I not throw the net out there one more time to say, “Anyone else?”

Is there anyone else out there who was thinking they’d like to make a donation but never quite ... Read More


I should be stripped of my crown; the badge revoked; dishonorably discharged from the ministry of kindness. I blew it.

Yesterday was World Kindness Day and I completely forgot that meant we were all supposed to do something kind to spread love and goodwill throughout our world.

Oops.

Funny that I forgot since first thing in the morning, I got a greeting card ... Read More


Whatever you look for is what you’ll see. Don’t believe me? Think about your ex: ex-husband, ex-boyfriend, ex-wife. Since I’m a woman and I’m the one writing this, let’s pick on the men for a moment. When you first met this man, the love of your life, he could do no wrong. You were drawn to each other, the chemistry ... Read More


The cancer is gone, the reconstruction is over, but there are days that take me right back to the heat of the battle.

Yesterday was one of them.

Yesterday was a day of pink.

And a day of celebration.

Courtesy of April Williams-Schrader FB post

And a day of friendship.

But it was also a day to remember that I lived ... Read More


They say when it rains, it pours. That can be true in trials, but in my life, I’ve found that it’s also true in kindness.

In times of trouble, the smallest act of love is amplified. A note in the mail, a phone call or a text message can go far in lifting someone’s spirits. I still remember the gigantic card ... Read More


The funny thing about cancer drugs is that they seem to spit out side-effects cyclically.

I don’t always get hot flashes. They come in waves. Every few weeks I wake up hot and sweaty and know that for a few days I’m going to have some uncomfortable nights. Then just when I think I can’t stand it anymore, the hot flashes ... Read More


The evening’s emcee stood on the stage and said the unthinkable. “The women I’ve talked to say they’re glad they were diagnosed with breast cancer. That it was one of the best things that ever happened to them.”

Jordan and I were invited to speak at the Pink Tie Ball in Indianapolis this weekend. It was a beautiful mother-daughter getaway complete ... Read More