Candyland

What In the Actual Candyland Happened?

I was standing in the Amazon aisle the other night. Not physically, of course.  But spiritually?  I was there. Clutching imaginary pearls.Squinting at my screen.Whispering to myself: “What in the actual Candyland happened?” All I wanted was a simple game for my granddaughter. She’s 2½.You know… something colorful. Innocent. Maybe teaches taking turns or counting or not losing your mind when your sibling wins. I was thinking Candyland.Don’t Break the Ice.Chutes and Ladders.Hi Ho Cherry-O. You know. Games where the worst thing that could happen was your gingerbread

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It's The Little Things

It’s The Little Things

It’s the Little Things Sometimes it’s the littlest things that end up having the biggest impact. Take something as simple as a tissue.Light as a feather. Practically nothing. When you need one to blow your nose or wipe your eyes, that tiny little tissue suddenly feels very important. But accidentally leave just one in a pocket and toss it into the washing machine… and oh my word. Tissue bits everywhere. On the clothes. In the washer. On the floor. A full-blown mess… all from one little tissue.

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ME

Happy New Year 2026

Welcome to the Year of Me.    I’ve spent most of my life taking care of everyone else.  The mother hen.  The fixer.  The helper.  The one who shows up, works harder, stays longer, and makes sure everyone else is okay.     And for a long time, I wore that role like a badge of honor.     But somewhere along the way, generosity turned into expectation. Being kind turned into being taken for granted. And being dependable turned into being drained.     I’m tired of being used.  I’m tired of being spoken to with

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Me in the middle

Life In The Middle

I’m a middle child, born and raised in that in-between space. The “middle” has always been my point of view—my natural lens on life. And you know what? The more I look around, the more I believe that most things in life really are better somewhere in the middle.   Let’s break it down—from simple to more complex:     WeightExtreme ends of the scale aren’t ideal. Being severely underweight can be just as unhealthy as being severely overweight. Balance—somewhere in the middle—is where strength, energy, and

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Raising Kids-Oh, How Things Have Changed

I was born in 1964, back when parenting was… well, let’s just say looser. I don’t recall ever riding in a car seat. Actually, I don’t even remember buckling a seatbelt. Back then, seatbelts were considered more of a nuisance than a necessity—most people just shoved them down into the seat crack to get them out of sight.   Turns out, car seats have existed since the 1930s—but they weren’t designed for safety. They were more like baby cages to keep the little ones from climbing all

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Susie

Rose Colored Glasses

Life can be tough. These are wild times—uncertain, chaotic, even a little scary. So much of what’s happening around us is out of our hands. The world? Absolutely bananas. Control? Practically non-existent.Stress? Through the roof.Gray hairs? Multiplying like bunnies at a drum circle.       But here’s the one sacred truth in this cosmic carnival:  You still get to choose your vibe. You can’t control the chaos, but you can control how you groove through it. Your mindset.Your attitude.Your reaction when your coffee spills, your kid

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