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Content right where I’m at …
When things are crazy busy in my life – work, home, my mind (in the form of worry) – I feel like I’m just rushing from one thing to another. Rushing to get up, get dressed, feed the dog, spend a few moments with my husband and then off to work. At work, I boot up my computer just in time to make it to one meeting, then another. I grab a bite to eat prior to the afternoon meeting, and then I find time to work on my projects. So the days go. I accomplish things and check them off my list. And more things move up the list…
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Hope for us
I’m a bit behind on the A to Z Challenge and I could easily breeze through the alphabet with a photo and long cutline. Photo by Diane Weidenbenner. I want to be authentic in this challenge or why do it? Right? So, I wish to talk about hope. It’s the Easter season so if there is a time to believe in “hope,” this is it. I recently found out something hurtful and I’m having trouble getting over it. As tiny in the universe as I am, Christ has reaffirmed with me that I matter. When I was in college, I got in a debate with a friend of mine who…
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#AtoZChallenge: Life everlasting
Since it’s Good Friday, I’m reposting an appropriate reflection for the A to Z Challenge. Hope you enjoy! I recently talked about going on junkets with my friend, Sandy. One of our favorite sites to explore is an older graveyard. No, we’re not into the macabre and we don’t visit them at night. (We wouldn’t be able to see anything in the dark!) We like to read tombstones and wonder about the people behind (or as it were, underneath) them. The stories are different. We may find families that are buried together at different times. Some of the headstones are worn, overturned or broken but you can still decipher what…
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A to Z Challenge: “S”hepherd, the Good one!
David’s Psalm 23 has always been a favorite of mine. There is something about the Lord as our Shepherd that I find comforting. It’s an image that is relatable and reminds me that God is active in my life as someone who gives guidance and refreshes my soul. My friend Sandy knew this and cross-stitched a beautiful pattern of the Good Shepherd, had it framed and gave it to me as a Christmas present. It is amazingly beautiful! It has a prominent place in our dining room, where Joe and I see it each day when we enter or leave the house through the garage. My friend’s artistic rendering reminded…
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A to Z Challenge: “G”ood, good Father
Continuing a bit with yesterday’s post of “encouragement”, I had to share one of my favorite songs. I can be in the car, streaming WBGL at work or home and this song begins to play at the appropriate time. It warms my heart and soul. Chris Tomlin sings the version that I know but the song has a neat history behind it with its original writers. The song was written by Pat Barrett and Tony Brown. Tony grew up without a dad so the only person he’s ever called father is God. I had a very loving, warm, hard-working father who had an awesome sense of humor. He loved photography…
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Blogging A to Z: “I”-n memory of … good friends!
Bestie Sandy (left) and Becky, having a toast to something wonderful, at St. Mary’s Supper Club. A good friend of mine passed away from lymphoma in April 25, 2013, and I miss her. There are those people that you meet and you feel “right at home” with. Becky was that type of person. She had a wonderful sense of humor and many times we’d laugh until we were both in tears. She loved animals and rescuing them, she liked telling people’s stories (she was a journalist) and she had a big heart. She’s a big reason that I have one of the loves of my life, my dog Hershey. And,…
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Blogging A to Z: Eco versus Ego
I work for a Catholic organization that has as one of its ministries White Violet Center for Eco-Justice. It’s goal is to help educate people to walk more softly on Earth by learning about the benefits of buying local foods, supporting ecological justice, organic agriculture and fiber arts. No, this isn’t a commercial for that ministry, but it is how I discovered the graphic to the left. I’ve been a nature nut since I was a child. I love science and because I think God is too big to be put into a box, and limited to only what I can understand, I don’t think that science and spirituality are…
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Quitters never prosper…
© 2014 by Diane Weidenbenner Okay. Officially the saying is “Cheaters never prosper.” But, since I am going for encouragement with this photo and short blog, I’ve changed it up a bit. For any of you out there that are having an especially trying time – you’ve lost a friend to cancer, or you’ve lost your job, or you just need to know that God is real and available, and unconditional in His love … this bridge is for you! It is to remind us that there is always another way, another opening, another opportunity right around the bend. There is always a different perspective, or a lesson to learn…
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“B”eaches are music to my ears
Seal Beach © 2014 by Diane Weidenbenner Beaches are an incredible gift of nature. There is nothing like them in the world. The sound of the waves, the horizon as backdrop to the ocean that spills onto the beach. The sound of the waves is so calming and centering. Each year I attend a trade show for work in Los Angeles. For the past two years, after the hustle and bustle of three long days greeting people at our booth, I’ve slipped down to the beach to unwind. I enjoy talking to hundreds of people (out of the 28,000 attendees) about the organization that I represent. While it’s high-energy work,…
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Happy Mother’s Day!
My husband, Joe’s, mother and father came up to visit us today, on Mother’s Day. They just entered their 80s but you wouldn’t know it – Bernie still mows the yards at their rental properties and they both are avid golfers. Dorothy attends church regularly and helps distribute the Eucharist to nursing homes. Dorothy is pictured above with Oliver, our 9-year-old Manx kitty. © Photo by Diane Weidenbenner Joe and I don’t have children but Dorothy has “adopted” our kitties and dog, Hershey, as her grandpets. She’s Grandma Dots. Dorothy was a district sales manager for Avon for 31 years and retired some time ago. She was a model…
