Book Review - The Garden Within by Dr. Anita Phillips

I haven't written as much as I did in the past but writing is still cathartic. It's peaceful and often when I'm writing, I'm worshipping my Creator. Sometimes I desire to write, but the words aren't there. And while God understands our inaudible words and moans, that would simply translate to a blank page that many would not understand.

So today, hopefully, the words will come. A cataclysmic event happened in our country on November 5th, and I was deeply disappointed with the results. I still am, but I know that I must take care of my heart. So it was fortuitous that I was reading The Garden Within during this time of deep disappointment.

As Christians, we unwittingly view emotions as bad or something we have to control and tamp down. How many of you have heard, "You're too emotional" as if that were a ding against you? And having heard that for most of your life, how does that make you feel? For a lot of my life, I tried to manage my emotions to make

A Seamless Tunic

Growing up with a mom who is a seamstress, you inadvertently absorb some of their processes; well at least I did. I was always amazed at how skeins of fabric, combined with thread, notions, scissors, and sweat equity could produce a finished garment. If my mom was making a dress, she always started with a pattern. The pattern jacket displayed the finished product and the inside contained detailed instructions with pattern pieces. I also remember her spreading the fabric on the table, laying and pinning the pattern pieces on the fabric, and cutting them out. Then the magic happened.

She followed those directions from the pattern, connecting piece A with piece B until she had a dress, a shirt, a skirt or

How to Blow Your Nose

I'm slowly adjusting to the joy of being a grandmother. Seeing the world through a child's eyes while having no direct responsibility for their upbringing. The pleasure of doing little things that bring joy like planting flowers or sitting for long periods coloring. Listening to her talk while she colors and learning her new favorite word - boring. "This TV show is boring." or "This music is boring." Everything is currently boring if it's not what she selected. 

Tap Tap Tap

I have a love-hate relationship with my dentist. I hate hearing the drill when fixing a cavity or the inordinate amount of time I have to keep my mouth open or X-rays. I dislike deep cleaning. I hate getting the first shot of anesthesia to numb my gums. But I do it all because a beautiful smile is worthwhile (to me). Teeth are one of the first things I notice when I meet a person.

Twenty years ago, I suffered a traumatic accident where my front teeth were damaged. My wonderful dentist (at the time) fixed my teeth so my smile looked as original as possible. But the work she did was temporary. Recently I've had to go through a series of procedures to permanently fix my smile.