Cathy's Blog

Ready or not, 2021 is here. Do you have mixed feelings? Maybe glad to say goodbye to 2020, but a little afraid of what this year may bring? I get it! Here’s some encouragement for stepping into the new year. Everyone’s experience in our COVID-19 world has been different. From suffering the loss of friends and family members to financial and job uncertainty, working and learning from home has brought blessings and challenges. But the common thread through the year has been an earthquake-like change that we did not see coming. For me, 2020 really forced me to accept that I am not in control. (I thought I had learned that when my husband had cancer, but I guess I hadn’t really ... read more

The day that advent has been pointing to has arrived. I hope your celebration has been good so far. In the quiet here I found some verses and a song I enjoyed tremendously. I can't help sharing some of that Christmas joy and love with you today. Sharing Christmas Joy and Love Through the Word "The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!" Luke 2:11 (NLT) This verse is just after the angels have revealed that Jesus has been born, followed by the heavenly hosts praising God. "When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has ... read more

Christmas countdown calendars are nearly completed, and anticipation is building. I wonder if you heard the question “are you ready for Christmas yet” one too many times?  But I have a more relevant question for you. Are you ready to be embraced by love this Christmas? Honestly, some years I got so caught up in the preparations for our Christmas celebrations, I was exhausted. Being embraced by love at Christmas was the farthest thing from my mind. I just wanted to stay awake to do more. Are You Ready to be Embraced by Love This Christmas? You might even cringe at the thought. Not another thing to do! And yet, I think it may be the one action that will get us ready for Christmas ... read more

I received a beautiful gift the other day, and I was so excited I couldn’t help but share the news with my friends. It was unexpected, extravagant, and beautiful. But this kind gesture pales in comparison to the gift we celebrate at Christmas. The gift that calls us to come and see what God has done. Christmas, the time we choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus. This Christmas I’m finding it easier to push aside the distractions of gifts, baking, and preparing the house for visitors. My focus is on Immanuel, God with us.   Immanuel is Jesus, the Son of God, who chose to come to earth in human form. He arrived humbly, born in a stable to a young poor couple. I wonder if the ... read more

Are you afraid to hope this Christmas? Maybe this year has been filled with disappointments and losses and gathering up the energy to hope is just too much for you. It may even seem impossible, but I encourage you to dare to hope this Christmas. We don’t have to hope that we will have a full house or a mountain of just the right gifts under the tree. In fact, even when I came close to achieving those goals, my hope was crushed. I was left feeling empty.   I heard that our hope should be in Jesus and that He was the hope of Christmas. But I wasn’t sure what that even meant. So, I dared to look outside my expectations and traditions of Christmas celebrations. Daring to ... read more

Our Thanksgiving celebration is going to look a lot different this year. You may find the same.  At first, I felt disappointed and, frankly, profoundly sad. I envisioned a time of isolation and quiet. But after some thought now, I see it will be a Thanksgiving celebrating a different kind of abundance. Don’t get me wrong, I am not ignoring the facts. We have chosen to not gather as a family (in person). We were looking forward to having Thanksgiving at the beach like we did last year. It was a fabulous time, and we decided to make it an annual event…until this year. Honestly, I’ve had half-hearted celebrations in the past, and I am determined not to do that again - ... read more

Light spilled from the kitchen windows, I could see my friend sitting at the table, sipping from a steaming cup. Smiling, I entered anticipating a peaceful interlude. What I experienced was auditory chaos.  Music, laughter, and the unmistakable sound of teen boys was emanating from the second floor. Unfazed, my friend had learned to achieve calm in chaos. Sometimes my life can seem chaotic, or at least over-stimulating. Have you ever felt like that? Maybe it was after a hard day at work, or perhaps after a day of parenting toddlers, or teens. Regardless of where you are in life, calm will call your name. As I waiting in the kitchen for my son to emerge, I noticed their ... read more

The expression on my husband’s face fell, and so did his mood. The words I had spoken were to blame - again. Guilt coursed through my body. I had let my feelings about something completely unrelated to our conversation spill over into what I was saying. With that, I knew I wanted to change. Let me share what I've learned in 3 steps to a peaceful home. Not long afterward, we lost our internet connection due to a storm. Of course, I called our IT expert and son Tim. He told me I could use my phone to turn the house into a Wi-Fi hot spot. The tiny device could broadcast an internet signal, with one quick setting change.  An adjustment that would dramatically change the atmosphere in ... read more

Everything was good. I was busy, settled in our new home, I should have felt content, but I didn’t. What was stopping me? I discovered it was me. I had to make a choice, stay where I was, or move into freedom. Are You Ready to Move Away From Discontent? I wonder if you have felt like that. Mildly surprised to find that you are not happy after your goal was met, the new job received, maybe staying at home with your children or retirement embraced. For me, I realized I had not shaken the last vestiges of depression. I had long since finished counseling as well as a lot of hard work. I had been declared cured. And in many ways, I was.  My energy had returned, I was thinking ... read more