Duke Football Fan!

Unlike some folks, there is diversity in my sports interests.  Not everything is about basketball.

My years as a student in the Divinity School of Duke University included many autumn afternoons filled with Duke football!  My first year there we went to prestigious Hall of Fame Bowl.  Still have a beat up plastic cup to celebrate the occasion.  Or I might have used it to scoop cat liter back in 1999.  Hmm.

The other seasons were less exciting because we watched our opponents out score us by multiple digits. Mostly, those afternoon games were spent visiting with other students, eating hot pretzels and trying to figure out just exactly what my theology professor was lecturing in class each week.  The 'win' was a fun afternoon with friends with a side of mediocre football.

Great news, though, because.. our football team has another winning season this year!  We might even be Bowl bound, again!

It is a Thanksgiving miracle.

So here's to Duke athletics: football and basketball!  Woo hoo!

Gratitude Journal: My New App of Choice

During this season of thanks-living, I thought I would share my latest addiction: my new iPhone app; My Gratitude Journal by Happy Tapper.

Finally, something spiritual to do with my iPhone!

Over a month ago my search began for another way to express my writing and my gratitude.  This little app has been a lovely joy!  Everyone morning at 9:30 am I am sent a reminder buzz to write in my journal of gratitude.

Some days my list is longer than others.  And I can even search to entries with a key word of theme.  Gosh- I can even give that day's entry a star code!

We practice gratitude at our house because we understand that our God is a GIVER!  And when I leave in the space of gratefulness- life seems so much more smooth and filled with contentment.

Reluctant

I enter into this holiday season of Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas with a profound awareness of my inner reluctance.

My heart still grieves as does my little family.  Holidays after the death of a loved one are just no nasty and raw!  Such bittersweetness... to bake the yummy foods, decorate our homes, and gather around a table with one chair so obviously absent.

I know this terrain.

Other times in my life I have traversed this space... it is just so hard to navigate this hallowed ground on behalf of my little one who simply misses her Nana.

What traditions do we keep for continuity and what new expressions are born from this?
 Tough to say.

I have decided that however reluctant I am ... I cannot stop the movement of momentum in the calendar... so here goes!

By God's great grace.

365 Days

As of November first our family countdown began.  The days until my husband finishes his Master's degree are closer now than they have been.  As of this writing only 357 days remain until the celebration begins.

Whoopee!

Difficult to determine who is more excited about this prospect: the student or his family.

Let this be a warning to all readers that random numbers, which are not so random, may start appearing in my conversation, blogs, posts, and tweets.

Gosh- that also means I have a limited amount of time to plan the graduation party and get my gifts ready!  I better get going!