Into the Fire
On a Tuesday in April of 2022, we left the house as usual for our weekly get-together/co-op. We left things as we typically do and planned to have a fun day with friends that would include looking at moon rocks at the university in town. We noticed huge billows...
Grace is a Chocolate Chip Cookie
Let me start this by saying, we have really excellent kids. We are blessed beyond measure and they surprise us daily with their wit, insight, and empathy. Even the best of us can have a “bad day.” Sometimes a bad mood is situational. Sometimes we “wake up on the...
Return of the Dust Bowl
Enjoy another weather-related lesson from the Caswell Clan. Yesterday, the average wind speed was in the 40 MPH range with gusts up to 90 MPH. The air quality went from “okay” to “terrible” in a matter of minutes. Dirt and dust were so thick that visibility was ZERO. Most...
Wanted
Earlier this week, the verse of the day came from Joel chapter two. Joel was a prophet to Judah, sometime after the return from Babylonian captivity. His message is simple, “Return to God!” His message is delivered in the midst of drought and plague – a national disaster –...
The Prime of Life
I turned 43 over the weekend. Birthdays seem to be more anticlimactic each year. This is not the only prime age I’ve ever been, and Lord willing, I’ll have a few more but with each year or each day, I realize that Today is a gift. In this current prime...
Wind and Water
I’ve spent some time this week thinking about how mindset makes a difference in everything we do. Whether visiting family, working my direct sales business, encouraging others, helping other mamas, or being a keeper at home, MINDSET IS EVERYTHING! For example, yesterday morning I woke up to no water....
Preparing for Life’s Storms
Depending on where you live, storm preparation is a seasonal event, like “spring cleaning” or the “holidays.” Some places prepare for hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, or wildfires. Preparing by definition is “to make ready beforehand.” I know both “extreme preppers” and those who aren’t even prepared for tomorrow. In our...
Create Unstobbable Habits
Perhaps you’ve heard, “It takes 21 days to make a habit.” Well, yes, and not quite. The 21-day research comes from a plastic surgeon, Maxwell Maltz who noticed a pattern in his patients. Whether they went in for a nose job or lost an appendage, something changed in the...
Get out of your way!
This week in my Bible reading plan, I read about Aaron and Hur holding up the hands of Moses so that Israel prevailed against the Amalekites (Exodus 17:2). This illustrates that we ALL need people to hold us up sometimes, especially in tough battles. Moses had a divine purpose....
God sees and God knows
Earlier this week, within the course of a few hours, I added five people to my “urgent needs” prayer list. While praying over one situation, I asked, “Lord, do you ever get tired of our stupidity?” We are often stuck in our own grief, self-pity, or outright rebellion. When...