Designing a life of peace, joy and laughter.
On December 21, I went to see Santa. My soon-to-be-8-year-old son wanted to see Santa, so I agreed to wait in line with him. It was so hot. My heavy wool coat was draped over my arm because it was humid in the tropical conservatory at Fredrick Meijer Gardens where Santa was stationed for the … Continue reading In the land of the living.
My good friend texted this phrase this morning: “Life has been relentless this month.” Relentless. Do you feel that way? In the past two weeks, our family has had a health scare, a back injury, and two Covid exposures with all the resulting contingency plans. Nothing catastrophic, but I resonated with the word “relentless” when … Continue reading Really old graffiti.
“No one knows you like they know youAnd no one probably ever will.You can grow up, make new ones,But truth is there’s nothing like old friends.‘Cause you can’t make old friends.”Ben Rector, “You Can’t Make Old Friends” from the album Magic On the first day of school when I was 10, the new girl asked … Continue reading You can’t make old friends.
Consuming a moment. I tried to consume a moment last week, and save it for later. We were on vacation on the Pacific coast of Washington, in Olympic National Park. It was late morning on a Wednesday, and we wanted to get to a beach for low tide. We hoped to maybe see a starfish. … Continue reading Beholding vs. consuming
When I was a teenager, I sweated at the McDonalds drive-thru and saved my after-tax dollars to buy clothes. Minimum wage took ages to add up to a pair of Guess jeans, so when my friends hung out at restaurants, I would order a Coke and say I wasn’t hungry. There was no sense in … Continue reading Feast.
Is a chapter just about to end for you? For so many of us, the end of another school year is approaching. Perhaps you are not a sentimental person, but most of us get caught up in daily life and forget the essential things that matter most to us. Here are a few things that … Continue reading Celebrate.
Can you picture your childhood house? This was mine from age 0-26, in Villa Park,IL. When my parents bought it, my dad said, “Mary, this is going to be your dream house.” Actually, my mom dreamed of a house with a big front porch like the one she grew up in. But year after year … Continue reading Dream House: 505
When was the last time you encountered something that was way better than you expected? A few weeks ago, we were in Southwest Florida, and decided to visit Lighthouse Beach on Sanibel Island. We entered the tiny parking lot at Lighthouse Beach, to a line of cars driving around and around in a slow circle … Continue reading “I think I’m gonna like it here!” – Annie
“This has been “Some Good News,” reminding you that no matter how tough life can get, there is always good in the world.” – John Krasinski A year ago, in the first several weeks of the pandemic, my kids and I discovered something delightful. Our weeks had been filled with bad news: school was closed, … Continue reading Some Good News vs. Toxic Positivity
Most of you know my dad, Chuck Schipma. Back in February of 1980, Chuck bought two identical books for his two very similar blonde daughters, aged 7 and 5. Our parents often did this, bought us the same things so that life felt fair. Chuck wrote a message in each of these identical books to … Continue reading The Power of Words to a Kid.
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