the window to my mind...

Here's a quick little update for those who have been asking about what's going on in my life: I moved back home to Michigan at the end of December, 2020. The plan was to beworking for a brand-new nonprofit that was going to be making temporary, movable medical stations for underserved communities around the world. One of the parts that made this extra exciting was that the first community was in Oaxaca, Mexico. This meant I was hired because of my nonprofit expertise AND my bilingual skills - SCORE! Plus, it was flat-out stated in my interview that I would be working from Mexico at times -DOUBLE SCORE! Well, since then, life happened. The boss has had several life-threatening health scares and is now likely never to return to work. This means that the nonprofit (his pet project) is indefinitely on the shelf, so to speak. He also owns a big exterior sign company and our office was within this business so I was offered a position as a project coordinator as a means of...well, pay

Last week, I read an  article  about how the big three oil companies all came under fire for their lack of action in the “climate battle”. It caught my attention because the night before I read the article, I noticed the prices at the local gas stations had gone up to over $3 a gallon! That was like a  30-cent  jump in just a couple of days! When I first saw the higher prices, I thought maybe we were seeing the remnants of the effects of that  cyber-attack on the Colonial pipeline  or maybe the gas stations were just raising prices in anticipation of Memorial Day weekend.    But then my cynical brain got to thinking otherwise. I began to wonder if the gas prices have anything to do with Exxon, Chevron, and Shell getting “mud on their face”, as Mr. Mercury so eloquently put it. I t just seems a little more than coincidence that these big oil companies got “bullied” one day all over the media and the next day the prices at the pump drastically increase.   Of course, I am far from an eco

 Ok, folks! I have decided that I enjoy reading things and then writing my thoughts down on what I read. That can be a book, a news article, an op-ed, a chapter in a textbook...whatever. So, since I am so entertaining (at least to myself), I thought I would share my thoughts with ya'll! Stay tuned here on this blog for upcoming "All that to say..." posts! And if you like what you read, please subscribe to the blog and share it with your friends. Also, comments are always welcome on any of my posts. I just ask that you act civilized toward one another...or I will prove to you that I am a mom and put you in time-out.  I know that some of my posts may ruffle political feathers of one side or another...or both. Also, I should add this disclaimer: If I post something that you do not agree with, there is no need to criticize my opinion or to unfriend or unfollow me or what have you. We can have civilized discussions about our difference in opinion. Comment your thoughts and I w

 I know I haven't really been super good at this whole transparency thing even though that was the initial purpose of this blog. For that I apologize and I am going to try to make up for at least a little of the lost time by revealing a secret that not many people know. Here goes...I suffer from depression.  I don't mean I have down days sometimes. I mean I am on two different anti-depressants and an anxiety medicine. I mean I have to force myself out of bed a lot of mornings and plaster on a somewhat convincing smile for the rest of the world. I mean if I had the option, I would much prefer to stay at home, all by myself, in bed all day. And that is while I am on my medicine.  A few years ago, I began counseling and had to do some serious evaluations of myself during that time. I also had to make some serious confessions to myself. For instance, I had to admit that I had been in an abusive relationship: physically, emotionally, and sexually. I also had to admit that I was not

 Today is Mother's Day. Honestly, it's one of my least favorite days of the year...for many reasons. For example, why do we need a Mother's Day in the first place? Shouldn't mothers be honored and loved 365 days a year? And don't we realize how painful this day is to so many out there? Those who have lost their mothers or their children...those who desperately want to be a mom but for whatever reason cannot...those who have had a falling out with their mom or their child...and so many more. I don't know. Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Valentines Day are three days that I am convinced we would be better off without. But enough of my cynicism.  The point is: I am a mother. I have been one since 1995 (so like, a really long time!). Today I can proudly proclaim that I have seen three of my four children become adults and have babies of their own. My baby, the last one who is not legally an adult yet, will hit that milestone in just three months! This means

A while ago, my youngest son, Ben, asked me a question: if money wasn't an issue and I could do anything at all for a job, what would I do? Surprisingly, I fairly quickly answered "write". I love writing...I know I've said that before on this blog. I have tons of journals with random entries and writings that I have collected over the years and I have started several books. I've never gotten very far with them because I get distracted by life. You know, being a mom, a wife, an employee, a pastor, a volunteer, a daughter, a grandma, and the list goes on.  In November, my life changed dramatically when I quit my job and moved to Michigan by myself. All the kiddos are big kids now and I had a yearning desire to be away from my adopted city and back home to my native land. Now I have a cute little apartment and a little bit more free time. This means I have time to actually concentrate on writing!  So, I decided that my new years resolution would be (even though I don

  When I began travelling back and forth from Fort Wayne, IN to Kalamazoo, MI for work a few months ago, I decided to download some audio books and listen to them as I drive. The driving only lasted for about a month but I am now hooked on my audio books! Even though there are so many genres available, I decided to listen to the classics...those books I have always wanted to read (or finish reading) but have never found the time to do. I started with Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, The Beautiful & the Damned, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and, well, the list has gone on! I was so amazed by some of these books. For instance, I am also addicted to a podcast called  Stuff You Missed in History Class  and in an episode a few years ago, the co-hosts were talking about how Mark Twain actually prided himself on writing in a more casual tone than people were used to because he wanted to appeal to the general public, those who weren't normally readi

 I know this article is about 2 months old but I couldn't not comment...Carmen Reinicke writes in this article that "Raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour over time would boost paychecks and reduce poverty" (see article here:  The US is closer to a $15 federal minimum wage after Biden win ). That sounds great, right? Except for this...I currently make more than $15/hr and less than $20/hr. I am clearly not alone in this world. My income won't be raised as a result of this. I will actually suffer, along with millions of others. This will NOT reduce poverty. It will simply raise the poverty level to account for the higher pay. Think about it. If I go to the grocery store and every cashier and stocker and bagger makes $15/hr instead of $8 or $9/hr, how will the owner of that grocery store compensate for that huge increase in payroll expenses? One of two ways: lay people off and work with a skeleton crew which means the lines will be even longer and the shelves