Everyday Moments

Just a few generations ago, farmers cut the grass, spread it out to dry, and gathered it before the rain arrived. A few unexpected showers could turn a promising harvest into a soggy disappointment. Without weather apps, tractors with air conditioning, or a convenient way to reschedule sunshine, there was serious meaning to “Make hay while the sun shines.” Timing mattered. So did getting off the porch. Bill: I've always liked that expression. Don't waste a good opportunity.

Some things in life are worth the squeeze...take orange juice, for example. Other things just leave us with sticky hands. We’ve all had an opportunity land in front of us and wondered, Is this worth it? Is the project worth the time? Is the trip worth the drive? Is one more committee worth another meeting? Sheri: I don’t think everything worthwhile has to pay us back. Time with an old friend may not make us richer, but it can make us happier. Sometimes the payoff is simply th

Strolling along the Clearwater pier, we spotted a pelican perched on a pier post just offshore, looking back toward the beach. We named him Pete. While hundreds of people were parking their butts on the sandy beach, Pete chose a different spot all his own. Remember Goldilocks? Not too hot; not too cold. Not too hard; not too soft. She found a spot that was just right. Bill: You have to admire Pete’s decision-making. The beach was crowded, the buoy wasn't, and from where

“Spaghetti Junction” ahead of us was a maze of roads that all seemed to have a mind of their own. Some stretched straight ahead, disappearing into the distance. Others curved around a corner, leaving us wondering what was waiting just beyond the bend. And a few seemed to wander without much concern about where they were going. “How much life looks like that”? Aren’t We all headed somewhere? Sometimes we know exactly where we’re going...we have a destination, a plan, maybe eve

Measure Twice – Cut Once is a practical proverb we remember from growing up. While we heard it mostly when our enthusiasm (or youthful impatience) had us “jumping the gun,” we still thought it was about rulers and tape measures. As we got older, we realized it was really about slowing down long enough to check our thinking before doing something we can't easily undo. A little planning, a little verifying, and a lot fewer mistakes. But then, we were kids. Bill: I fell in love

Every day we're surrounded by opinions, headlines, conversations, memories, and experiences that swirl together like colorful pieces inside a kaleidoscope. Our eyes gather the light, but our minds decide what it means. Somewhere in the middle of all that, we decide what to believe. People often say, "Seeing is believing." Yet history reminds us that two people can witness the very same event and come away with remarkably different conclusions. Henry David Thoreau observed, "I

If there's one thing life enjoys, it's making circles. Trends return. Ideas resurface. Advice we once ignored suddenly makes perfect sense. And just when we think we've moved on from something, it finds its way back into our lives. Round and round we go. Take fashion. At some point, most of us have cleaned out a closet and proudly donated clothes we were absolutely certain would never be worn by another human being again. Not only are they back, but they’re also trendy. Sudd

A level - such a simple tool with a powerful job...it tells the truth about balance. Place it on a surface, and that little bubble quietly reveals whether things are even, tilted, or just plain off. In life, having a “level” means keeping your personal horizon steady. Your expectations are grounded enough to be realistic, yet far enough ahead to keep you moving forward. When your inner bubble floats centered, you’re neither leaning too far into fantasy nor slumping into dou

Bill: "If frogs had wings, they wouldn’t bump their butts on the rocks.” (American folk Proverb) Now that's a sentence you don't hear every day. Sheri: Hm…not sure that expression has ever “leaped” across my path before. 😊 Bill: Well, it’s an old saying with both a playful grin and a serious point. Sure, if frogs had wings, they could soar over every obstacle. No rocks. No bumps. No bruised frog bottoms. However, frogs don't have wings, and wishing they did doesn't change r

When we were kids, counting seemed pretty straightforward. One, two, three, four... we counted marbles, baseball cards, pennies in a jar, hot wheels, and the days until our birthday. Counting was simply a way to keep track of things we cared about. If you wanted to know how much you had, you counted. But somewhere along the road of life, we learn that the most important things -things that count - aren’t things at all. They are people. And while it’s nice to be able to count

A golf ball on the putting green has a pretty simple assignment: get into the hole. The funny thing is it rarely takes a perfect path to get there. A putt starts out looking straight enough, then the green has other ideas. There's a little slope you didn't notice. A patch of grass that grabs the ball. A bump that sends it wandering a few inches off course. Yet if the ball has enough momentum, it keeps rolling anyway. Life reminds us of that sometimes. Most of us have a pretty

If you were an egg, what kind would you be? It’s a lighthearted question with a meaningful center. Because beneath the shell of personality, we all carry something that defines us: our character. And in a world that sometimes feels a little scrambled, being a good egg still matters. A good egg is trustworthy. Kind. Reliable. The kind of person who shows up when they say they will, listens when it counts, and lends a hand without keeping score. They don’t need to be flashy, th

Shakespeare wrote, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. ” This is such a fitting place to begin our Any Other Name blog. Shakespeare was right in a literal sense - the rose itself doesn’t change. - however, our experience of it often does. What we name or call things has a curious way of shaping how we see them. (Just try calling that same rose a weed or a cactus long enough, and it might start hanging its petals a little lower in your mind!) Names matter. The wo

We think God gave us memories like He gave us all fireflies – tiny flickers of light to brighten the darkness. They don’t last forever in front of our eyes, but they shine just enough to remind us of something special tucked away inside...

When someone falls overboard, throwing them a lifesaver might be a handy idea. You’ll find these handy floatation devices hung on the deck rail for immediate rescue and emergency use. But what if you’re not on a ship? What if you find yourself up the creek without a lifesaver or a paddle? What then? Handy Stuff includes but not limited to people, places, things, and ideas that are convenient, accessible, useful, positive, valuable, worthwhile, effective, helpful, informative,

Your hands are on the wheel, your foot is on the gas, and you have just enough confidence to think, “Road trip!” You’re officially in the driver’s seat - freedom in motion with authority to occasionally adjust the radio. Sheri: Remember one of our first road trips together, Bill? Packed car, big smiles, and after two hours of driving, a bold declaration of “let’s take the shortcut!” Ten minutes later, we passed the same front porch – twice, as a matter of fact. Also, the same

In the "garden of us" - that is our garden of relationships - we are blessed with friends that pop up occasionally to friends that bloom and grow forever. The real magic is in the mix. Have you thought about the mix in your garden? Here are some possibilities: You’ve got your Sunflowers, who turn toward the light no matter what. These are your cheerleaders, your “we’ve got this” people. Call them on a cloudy day, and somehow the forecast changes. Then there are the Roses. Dee

Remember the saying, “every pot has a lid?” Most folks hear it and think about partnering romantically. But looking at it from a different angle, it’s all about the fit. Not forced fit. Not “close enough” fit, but that satisfying, just-right moment when things come together the way they were meant to. Think about it. Every problem, no matter how oddly shaped, has a solution or resolution out there somewhere. It may not be obvious. It may not be quick. It might even look a l

We moved some roses from the garden to the window ledge inside our home… where, as it turns out, you could see roses blooming inside and outside. Same flowers, just blooming on both sides of the glass. So where are we headed, you ask? To the realization that the roses didn’t stop being roses because their surroundings changed. Garden. Vase. Sunshine. Window table. Same bloom. Different setting. We humans tend to believe we can only thrive under exactly the right conditions. T

Sometimes, a “piece of cake” is just that simple: something easy, something sweet, a moment in life we can enjoy without hesitation.