Monthly Archives: January 2026

The Good News

Reflections

Hello and welcome.

Here in Michigan, we are in the midst of a brutal deep freeze. I’ve been staying in as much as possible (hibernation mode) and while my husband still goes to the farm to take the dogs out and care for the chickens his time there is abbreviated. Being out in that cold is just miserable.

But now for the good news. I received an email this week letting me know that one of my stories will be published in an upcoming  Chicken Soup for the Soul® book. The title of the book is “I Can’t Stop Laughing” and it’s scheduled to be on sale on April 28, 2026. The title of my story is “Where’s God?” and yes, it’s a funny story.

I’ve added this to my list of reasons I’m looking forward to April. Things like: Spring!, flowers, green grass, trees getting their leaves, birds returning from their winter homes, frogs singing, dandelions blossoming, bees buzzing, starting our garden plants, getting my hands in the dirt (yes even if that means pulling weeds), the chickens will be laying again, and now my story being published.

My mom always said, “don’t wish your life away,” so I’ll try to be patient while I, eagerly, await April.

Thanks for visiting.

Chicken Scratch (Not Another Chicken Post)

Reflections

In August I picked up some Chicken Soup for the Soul® books at the used book sale at our local library. It had been years since I had read a Chicken Soup book, but I remember the stories, real stories, delightful, heartwarming, encouraging, inspiring – the kind of stories I liked to read – the kind of stories I liked to write.

As I read through the first book, “Believe in Angels”, I thought of some of my own similar stories. Divine interventions, encounters with spirits, messages seemingly heaven sent. More than just coincidences. Some of my stories were written and published on my personal blog and read by a handful of people, others were still trapped in my head waiting to be written. I wondered if some of my stories belonged in these books.

When I came to the end of that book, I found information on how to submit stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul to be published in their books. I decided I would check it out on their website. After browsing the “how to submit” pages I thought this might be worth considering. I mindlessly took a notebook out of my desk and set it next to my computer to remind me to come back later and write down the story topics they were looking for and the dates that submissions were due.

Wondering if my writing was really good enough to be published I mentioned the idea of submitting some stories to my husband and my sister who have read my writings. Both of them encouraged me to do it. After all the worst that could happen is they would not be accepted.

“Lord, should I really do this?” I thought as I sat down with my laptop, ready to organize some stories for possible submission. When I picked up the notebook that I had retrieved from my desk, I recognized it as a gift my daughter had given me for Mother’s Day. It had a pink cover with several rows of chickens on it. In the center of the cover it said, “Chicken Scratch.” Thank you, Lord, Message received!

The above story is true. In November I began reviewing and editing some of my stories, preparing them for submission. Thus far I have submitted eight pieces for three of the books they will be publishing this year.

On Tuesday I received a message informing me that one of my stories has made it to the first phase in the selection process for an upcoming book, (only a small percentage of the stories submitted have made it this far) and asking me to sign an agreement giving permission for them to include my story in the book. I AM SO EXCITED!

This book is scheduled to go on sale on 4/28/26 so I should know for sure sometime in March if my piece will be included. I’ll let you know when I hear more.

Thanks for reading.

Monthly Inspiration and Happy New Year

Inspiration, New Years, Reflections,

Hello and welcome to my first blog post of 2026. I’ll start by taking a look back at 2025.

We started 2025 by celebrating my 60th birthday in January and in December received a special gift.

Sandwiched in between were a wonderful spring as our world came alive, the trees unfurled their leaves and flowers bloomed in bright brilliant colors. New life was born, as we witnessed three clutches of killdeer hatch from their eggs. Summer came and we had some fun here on the blog with a game of hide and seek and a round of caption the photo, I spent many hours enjoying the pond for both recreation and daily workouts, and despite the hot dry weather our gardens flourished. We had bumper crops this is 2025.

This morning as I looked back over my previous New Years blog posts, I discovered the one from 2017 had only been viewed 16 times over the years so I sure many of my current readers have not read it. It is still applicable now as we enter 2026 so I have updated it and am reprinting it below as our monthly inspiration.

Thanksgiving Throughout the New Year

2025 was a good year for us. We are truly grateful for so many blessings, and with that statement I share with you my 2026 resolution. My resolution is not something new that I’m going to start but a continuation of something that I have been doing, that I need to continue and perhaps do more of.

My resolution for 2026 is to acknowledge and give thanks for all of our blessings.

When I was a teenager, I remember my dad saying, “gratitude will change your attitude”.  At that time, I didn’t get it. These words were simply dad’s way of pointing out that I (or someone) had a bad attitude, or as he also liked to say I (or someone) “needed an attitude adjustment”.

As I matured, I came to have a greater understanding of this phrase and believe this to be true. One time when my two youngest daughters, who are three years apart in age, were preteen and young teen, they were fighting over a scarf. For some reason, that day, the girls both decided to wear that particular scarf. I don’t believe the scarf belonged to either girl specifically, so it was probably a hand-me-down given by a friend or relative. The girls’ words to each other were mean and hateful, and I thought that they were going to start hitting each other. I put an end to the fight by confiscating the scarf; neither girl would wear it that day. Having three sisters myself, I realized that fighting over clothes was something sisters do, but this fight was so disturbing that I could not overlook it. I couldn’t understand how these girls who had so much – lived in a nice house, were well fed, had closets and dressers full of clothes, toys, books etc… could be fighting over something so petty. These girls obviously did not appreciate all that they had, they did not realize what things were truly important, and they needed an attitude adjustment. I gave the girls an assignment. Each girl was to write down 25 things that they were thankful for and give me the list by the end of the day.

This was a powerful lesson. As I was driving to work that morning I began developing my own list in my mind. I saw the blue sky and the sun still coming up and was grateful for the gift of sight. I could hear the radio playing and the noise the vehicle made as it traveled down the road, my hands and feet worked properly to operate the vehicle, and these were blessings that not everyone was fortunate enough to enjoy. I thought about how I was thankful to being born in, and live in Michigan, in the USA. My list grew to include my job, my husband, my family and so many others in my life, and I was truly humbled. Most of these things were not things that I had earned or deserved, they certainly were not entitlements, and any of these things could be taken away from me at any moment.

Humility turned to empathy and compassion as I thought about people who did not have these things, and I realized it was from the goodness of God that I was who I was, I had what I had, and I was living the life I was living.

Eventually I came to realize that greed and pride cannot coexist with gratitude and humility, and while empathy and compassion may foster kindness, they are not compatible with anger and resentment. Not only does acknowledging and giving thanks for my blessings make me a better person, it gives me a peaceful feeling.

I’m not sure if this lesson had an impact on my daughters. I did receive their lists and while each of them listed family as something that they were thankful for, neither of them listed the scarf.

I don’t know that I will start a gratitude journal, but I will not wait until the 4th Thursday in November to celebrate Thanksgiving. I will carry the spirit of Thanksgiving with me throughout the year.

Wishing You a Happy New Year and Godspeed in 2026.

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