embrace the gray

It’s Just Rain…Right? Fear is an overwhelming, often crippling weight, and for me, it has lived in the form of storms since I was a child. The terrifying roar of a tornado, or even just the threat of one, brings a deep, trembling anxiety that still grips me today whenever the weather turns unseasonably warm in spring. For years, I allowed that fear to dominate me, constantly watching the news, checking Facebook, and streaming...

The TrouBlessing Coffee Brought Me – Repost Before I counted the cost of purchasing coffee each morning, I would stop almost every day on my way to work. One day as I was pulling into a parking spot, I noticed another young lady pulling in alongside of me. Thinking she might get ahead of me, I quickly put my car in gear, grabbed my purse, keys and phone, and jumped out of the car. I had to beat her to the door. As I walked...

Prayer Changes Things A few years back, my mom’s doctor gently but firmly told us that she could no longer drive herself to appointments. This was a necessary precaution as my mom had an incident that could have resulted in a disastrous situation. She lost consciousness while driving, waking up just in time to avoid a collision with oncoming traffic by pulling into a church parking lot. Her loss of consciousness was a direct...

Me, Me, Me As my time at my job came to a close, I had the wonderful opportunity to train my successor. We spent several months working side-by-side, and it was a true pleasure. Her strong work ethic and quick grasp of new concepts made for a natural and effortless transition. Over the years, I had accumulated my own “tricks of the trade”—small efficiencies and lessons learned the hard way. Initially, I held back...

Take the key back  My heart still leaps with joy when a child’s eyes light up as a difficult concept becomes clear. This excitement is what led me to spend nearly 15 years in education, teaching middle school math and geometry. Those years were some of the most delightful of my life. A large part of that joy came from my work at a major tutoring center, where, despite some of the less-than-pleasant administrative duties,...

For Customers Only I was fortunate to work for a tutoring company for many years. I started as a tutor then was promoted to Education Director and promoted again to Center Director. During my years as Center Director, I struggled in my relationship with the Lord. I vacillated-going from obsessively obedient to disobedient. For instance, the parking area directly in front of the building was reserved for our customers. However,...