Chocolate Oatmeal For Breakfast

Moving from one home to another is always challenging - and we're becoming the experts, I think, since we're on our sixth move since the fall of 2013.

One challenge is not realizing you need an item until you don't have it.

For instance, I eat oatmeal every morning, mostly because I actually do like it.

But I don't like runny oatmeal.

And I don't like the taste of fresh milk.

Or the taste of unsweetened oatmeal.

So I make mine in the microwave with powedered milk and a bit of cream of wheat to thicken it - and then I add a sprinkle of brown sugar to sweeten it.

But not until I was making oatmeal after spending the night for the first time in the new home did I realize I had neither cream of wheat or brown sugar.

I did, however, have a box of chocolate graham crackers.

I cracker crumbled into powder and added to the oatmeal before microwaving both thickened and sweetened the mixture for me.

It also tasted rather good, too.

I recently wrote how I'm constantly pivoting these last few years.

And I also wrote about the importance of celebrating the "shifts" in our plans.

It's true I'm rather weary of the nonstop challenges that's keeping my family and me on edge these days.

But without the challenges, we wouldn't encounter the blessings.

Like eating chocolate oatmeal for breakfast.

Turning 65

Because we're in the process of moving (again), I planned for a very, very lowkey sixty-fifth birthday last Wednesday.

And the day turned busier with odd projects that I foresaw, along with two back-to-back meals.

My oldest son came up from Streator with his youngest son David (who is turning two on July 22) to treat me to lunch. 

The air-conditioning wasn't working at restaurant number one, so we migrated to restaurant number two.

When we returned home, Rebekah told me Timothy and Daniel had made dinner reservations and to "get ready." Ooof!

So we went to dinner, brought home enough leftovers for the next day's dinner, and then the boys stopped at Walt's Ice Cream, so I could have "something" to hold a candle while they sang "Happy Birthday."

They came home with enough ice cream to last for days. And then we sang "Happy Birthday" without the candles because we didn't have any.

NI had no presents at my request since we are putting so many resources into the new home. Their time and presence and help at all my out-of-the-box ideas and projects throughout the year are presents enough, presents of the priceless kind with eternal value and worth.

But my mother did send these lovely popup cards and kept texting me to be sure I opened them.

And Cindy came to the house on Friday with a box of gifts Eric and Justin picked out for me (and something very special she made for WriteOn Joliet's anthology release party on November 12).

Oh, and I still have two hundred-plus birthday wishes yet to read on Facebook.

While some people bemoan growing older, I love growing older.

Three of my grandparents never saw "older."

My paternal grandmother died at 55 from pancreatic cancer.

My patneral grandfather died at 62 from colon cancer.

My maternal grandmother died at 64 from colon cancer.

And my only female cousin died two years at age 58 from breast cancer.

Moreoever,  I'm fully aware I should have died in 2002 from something of which you've likely never heard.

I have family, friends, a new home, and life itself.

Turning sixty-five was such a blessing!

Celebrate the Shifts

In 1997, I was a stay-at-home mom of six children, ages two through fifteen, when I received an invitation from our pastor to attend a three-day conference in Chicago.

The conference was aimed at attracting and keeping twenty and thirty-year-olds into churches. Our bishop had instructed him to attend with one parishioner and then write a report.

The problem is that the pastor was also supposed to spend part of that weekend at his college reunion in another state. 

So the plan was for us to attend the conference together for half of that time and then I would stay overnight in Chicago for the last day (because I had transportation issues even back then).

At the end of that second day, before I headed to dinner, I went back to my room for a short while just to listen to music and celebrate the shift that had occurred in my life.

Now, I didn't know that by the following year, I'd be a single mother working several jobs around the clock, growing them all to see which ones "stuck."

I didn't know three years later I'd be remarried and living near the I&M Canal.

I didn't know five years later I'd be fighting for my life with a tumor so rare most people (including me) had never heard of it.

I didn't know eight years later we'd hold a ribbon-cutting in our backyard for the remodeling of three outbuildings as dedicated youth group space for our church.

And so forth.

But what I did feel was that shift in my life, a shift I've sensed at other times, too.

Honestly, to this day, I have no idea why I was selected for this conference. I wasn't part of any church group, church board, church anything, except for my attendance.

However, before grabbing my book and heading for a solitary dinner (that sounds lonesome until you reflect that dinners at home meant eating with a nursing baby on your lap and periodically jumping up to refill plates and run general interference among bickering children), I took a few moments to acknowledge that, to honor that, to even celebrate that.

The unknown is often a scary place.

But it's also an opportunity for growth.

A Constant Pivot

By nature, I'm a planner.

And I know life doesn't always go according to plan.

But the sheer frequency with which my family and I pivot to meet the circumstances is dizzying.

Frankly, I'm astounded we accomplish anything of real significance at all...ever.

Seriously.

My to-do lists resemble a shell game with the amount of moving, manipulating, and reassigning of items I do.

Yet - we get stuff done.

Most (if not all) of it, eventually.

I'll bet you do, too.

So take heart when today doesn't go as hoped.

It will work out.

It always does.

Somehow.

Happy Father's Day (and a day)

It's been a challenging three weeks at our house, starting with a car accident (not our fault, we were in a parking lot, not moving), severe thunderstorms and tornados that left us without power for a spell, and another bout of diverticulities for me (still in its throes).

So Bertrand the Mouse and his Uncle Barty (Bertrand's father figure) spent a very quiet Father's Day, mostly reading books, which is what they love best.

In fact, Bertrand's entire missing is to bring the joy of reading to children of all ages.

But Bertrand learned his mission (and love for reading) from an older, wiser mouse who made sure Bertrand understood both, even when Bertrand strayed.

For those without fathers and father figures currently in their lives (like nearly everyone in our immediate family and circle), Timothy shared the following reflection with me on Saturday night.

The interesting thing is that my early father figures are gone but Christ was clear, "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

A Father that transcends time, space, and is forever.

Amen?

Weathering the Storms

Like many, many others, I lost power, time, and money when a derecho and other strong storms ripped through the parts of Illinois last week.

I lost the same in 2020, when a derecho also ripped through the area, smack in the middle of the COVID-19 shutdown.

At the time, I was writing nine months worth of daily reflections on kindness (finding opportunties to be kind and finding kindness in others where I might have missed it otherwise), which I published later that year.

Here's what I wrote on two of those days in 2020.

AUGUST 10 

Be kind: Be thankful for the luxuries we take for granted.

A derecho blew through Will County this afternoon.

            Shortly afterwards, I was wandering through rubble, taking pictures of the aftermath for The Herald-News

            This single, brief storm uprooted trees, damaged homes and properties, and cut power to thousands of homes. Many people were especially angry about the loss of power and internet.

            Offering prayers and thinking good thoughts for the safety of the workers who bring us such luxuries as refrigerators and hot water might be a better use of time while we’re eating crackers in the dark than griping.

AUGUST 14 

Be kind: Spotlight someone else’s good works.

An injured baby squirrel will live another day because a kind person picked it up after the derecho and found a local squirrel rescue to accept it.

            That might not sound like a big deal to you.

            But you are not a squirrel.

            Yes, I wrote a story about it. And I’m glad I did. Because I added a postscript to this post.

            A few weeks later, someone I know in another state rescued two baby squirrels and didn’t know what to do.

            By connecting the novice with the expert, two more squirrels are now doing well.

From "Nine Months of Kindness"

The Last Chocolate Rabbit of 2026

As I've previously written, I have an affinity for these gold-foiled chocolate rabbits, which is more about their expressions than the actual chocolate beneath the foil.

I like them so much, I tend to save the last one wayyyyyyyy past Easter.

On June 1, I contemplated this little rabbit, all alone with its brothers and sisters (duly consumed) and wondered how the rabbit felt.

Did it feel safe from human devouration?

Lonely at the loss of its siblings?

Or perhaps unfilled, since its purpose is not to sit on a shelf but to be eaten?

I'm sure it's painful and scary for a chocolate rabbit (if it could actually feel) to be chomped away.

I'm sure sitting on a high shelf feels much safer.

But just as cats are not meant to hide under the bed most of the time, chocolate rabbits aren't meant to sit on the shelf forever.

In a few years, this chocolate rabbit would  likely be good for nothing except the trash.

Fulfilling one's purpose isn't always easy, is it?

Our responsiblities may consume us.

People may not understand us, leaving us alone and lonely.

And because we stretch past our comfort level in the process of becoming, we leave something of our old selves in the growth.

But what happens if we choose the safe, sure road (and really, no road is safe and sure), if we choose to just "sit on a shelf," and let our talents slowly decay?

Just so you know, on that first day of June 2026, I ate the rabbit.

The Hall of Laundry

"Don't air your dirty laundry," the old saying goes.

Well, we air our CLEAN laundry.

This photo is actually missing one basket.

One of our refrains at home is, "How does everyone else do life?"

We're pretty organized and effficient. We really get a lot of "things" accomplished in the time allotted to us.

And yet, we find outselves chasing ourselves on many days.

By the time all the laundry is sorted, folded, and put away, the laundry bins are full.

How does this happen?

What typically happens is that, once we are on top of "things," another emergency happens or too much of life happens in one week.

Some weeks, I have a meeting every night after work.

Or we're juggling four doctors appointments in a single week and working late.

Or we spend an entire day in an emergency department and running back and forth to the hospital should a hospitaliztion occurs.

Sometimes other life "projects" take precedence

And sometimes, we get that rare day off when laundry and housework is the farthest from our minds.

Also, these laundry baskets are sitting right outside our laundry closet (not a room), which hasn't the floor space for a basket (or two or three or four).

So on a high laundry day, the clean laundry simply piles up until we can free up a moment to address it.

But you know what?

We always have clean clothes.

We never run out of towels.

And we always empty those baskets.

A "Tiny" Walk

Rebekah, Tiny, and I ended a very full, very challenging, time-crunched, project-filled, three-day weekend with a nice long walk.

Here are some of the highlights for you to enjoy this morning.

Have a most blessed day - and remember to seek to out the blessings. They are there.

PHOTOS: April 27, 2022

Good morning!

As I've mentioned in the past, our family has moved several times since we lost our home in Channahon when Ron developed dementia.

We are now contemplating another move.

And it occurred to me yesterday morning, while searching through my photos for one that highlighted a social media post, that this might be our last spring in this very picturesque area, that the view on April 27, 2027, might look very different next year.

So I scrolled through my saved photos for images I took on April 27, 2022.

Because when moving forward, it's good to know from whence we came, not for reasons of looking back for too long (lest we become immobile), but to give us the courage and hope to move forward, that beauty and blessing lie in the future, too.

If you think about it, we really can only move forward, right?

Easter Sermon by St. John Chrysostom

John Chrysostom (347-407), and incidentally, "Chrysostom" means "golden mouth," because he was such an effective speaker, was an archbishop of Constantinople, who was exiled three times by the Empress Eudoxia for his frank and powerful sermons.

Others might say "tactless" sermons, but, either way, John was not one to tread lightly on the popular opinions of the day. His Paschal sermon is read every Easter at the Resurrection Matins service in Eastern Orthodox churches. It's rather brief by comparision to his other homilies, which often took several hours to deliver.

One beautiful thing I really like about the repetition in the Orthodox church is that the words become part of you and transform in meaning with each hearing. While I couldn't recite this sermon by heart, I can anticipate the next line whenever I hear or read it, and it's the quintessence of Easter, really. I just cannot imagine Easter without it.

Easter Homily

By St. John Chrysostom

Archbishop of Constantinople

349 – 407

Let all pious men and all lovers of God rejoice in the splendor of this feast; let the wise servants blissfully enter into the joy of their Lord; let those who have borne the burden of Lent now receive their pay, and those who have toiled since the first hour, let them now receive their due reward; let any who came after the third hour be grateful to join in the feast, and those who may have come after the sixth, let them not be afraid of being too late; for the Lord is gracious and He receives the last even as the first. He gives rest to him who comes on the eleventh hour as well as to him who has toiled since the first: yes, He has pity on the last and He serves the first; He rewards the one and praises the effort.

Come you all: enter into the joy of your Lord. You the first and you the last, receive alike your reward; you rich and you poor, dance together; you sober and you weaklings, celebrate the day; you who have kept the fast and you who have not, rejoice today. The table is richly loaded: enjoy its royal banquet. The calf is a fatted one: let no one go away hungry. All of you enjoy the banquet of faith; all of you receive the riches of his goodness. Let no one grieve over his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed; let no one weep over his sins, for pardon has shone from the grave; let no one fear death, for the death of our Saviour has set us free: He has destroyed it by enduring it, He has despoiled Hades by going down into its kingdom, He has angered it by allowing it to taste of his flesh.

When Isaias foresaw all this, he cried out: "O Hades, you have been angered by encountering Him in the nether world." Hades is angered because frustrated, it is angered because it has been mocked, it is angered because it has been destroyed, it is angered because it has been reduced to naught, it is angered because it is now captive. It seized a body, and, lo! it encountered heaven; it seized the visible, and was overcome by the invisible.

O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? Christ is risen and you are abolished. Christ is risen and the demons are cast down. Christ is risen and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen and life is freed. Christ is risen and the tomb is emptied of the dead: for Christ, being risen from the dead, has become the Leader and Reviver of those who had fallen asleep. To Him be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

Perfect Attendance

Every now and again, I hear a story about "perfect attendance."

The person with the perfect attendance could be a student, a board member, an employee, even family members, etc.

With the last few years in my life being a bit messy and complicated, I'm a bit jealous of anyone who can attain perfect attendance anywhere in his or her life. I've never accomplished it, not in anything.

But I also wonder about those who DO attain it: Do these people have less challenging lives? Are other people better at navigating challenges? Or are other priorities set aside to achieve that perfect attendance?

I'm sure there's no one, all-consuming answer here.

And I'm sure we've all felt torn at times, when we really were needed in two (or more) places in the same instant.

Perfect attendance certainly shows one's committment to school, organizations, work, family events.

But when two important situations intersect, which one gets the perfect attendance? 

At the crossroads, which direction do you choose?

Random Reflections on Service

For the second time since 2024, the area's MLK Day of Service has been cancelled due to dangerous cold temperatures.

While I'm certain that's disappointing to everyone involved - organiations, recipient agencies, and volunteers - if you think about it, even the cancellation is service - service to participants to keep them safe.

While we may often think of service as engaging in a service project or other activity, service comes in so many forms, as I discovered during the months in 2020 when I was writing this book.

Service can include:

* reaching out to someone lonely or staying away from someone who doesn't wish to see you

* providing a kind word, a prayer, and/or a listening word to someone who desperately needs them.

* a simple smile and "thank you" to anyone who's provided service to you, yes, even the bank teller person checking out your groceries. 

* taking the time during a busy day to walk around the block to move your body and clear your mind on a busy day.

* going to bed early to get enough rest or waking up early to reserve time for yourself.

* graciously receiving someone else's service to you

Each day is filled with unrecogized opportunities for service.

While a large event like MLK Day of Service provides the means to serve many people on a wide scale, the necessity of canceling such an event doesn't erase the fact that we and they benefit from our acts of service.

Let today be the start of a new pattern of service in your life.

Happy Monday!

Kid's Wish For A Corgi Puppy Comes True | Dodo Kids

Free Gifts You Can Give This Holiday Season

For many of us, 2025 has been a tough financial year - and for those of us who like to Christmas shop, we've either trimmed that list in terms of people and/or things.

But the best gifts very often cost nothing than our time - and sometimes even very little of our time.

Here's an opportunity for you for you to give thirty-one unique gifts this month.

Simply visit the BryonySeries calendar, pick a date (any date or the current date), read the giving prompt, and follow the instructions.

Yes, each activity does link back to a BryonySeries book. But that's only for context. You don't need to click the link at all (unless you're curious).

Even one of these activities is a priceless gift you can give to the right person on your Chirstmas gift-giving list.

And these gifts are the types of gifts that really underscore the adage, "It's more blessed to give than to receive."

If you've had recent challenges - or are experiencing challenges (I certainly have) - the reflections are a wonderful way to remind you of the blessings you've experienced - now and in thet past - and give hope of the blessings that await you in the future.

Now, if you do have a few dollars to spend, and if you'd like to give a gift of lasting value, here's a way to give children the gift of reading this year.

Happy Tuesday!

For Every Challenge Last Week, We Had An Equal or Greater Blessing (Part 1)

"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Newton's Third Law of Motion.

"For every challenge, there is an equal and opposite blessing." Denise M. Baran-Unland

So I took last week off last in a feeble attempt to use up some of my neglected vacation time before 2025 bids us all farewell.

Every day (if you can believe it), seriously every single day, brought a challenge we had to tackle.

But every single day also brought a blessing.

As I was documenting that in the blog I wanted to share with you today - you know, to encourage you - the entire thing (words, photo) disappeared from my eyes and was replaced with this message: "You can now write online."

And then even that message was gone.

For any writers reading this: What a great example of "show" instead of "tell."

Grumble.

Unfortunately, I don't have time to rewrite this blog now.

But I'm assuming the new version will be amazing.

And it will also include this morning's newest challenge.

Happy Monday!

Explore "Gratitude" This Month

Very few of us can say we've never been blessed.

But when life is hard, it's also sometimes harder to find and those appreciate those blessings.

Here's an opportunity for you.

Simply visit the BryonySeries calendar, pick a date (any date or the current date), read the prompt, and follow the instructions.

Yes, each reflection does link back to a BryonySeries book. But that's only for context.

Even one of the exercises has value. Or you may do them all.

If you've had recent challenges - or are experiencing challenges (I certainly have) - the reflections are a wonderful way to remind you of the blessings you've experienced - now and in thet past - and give hope of the blessings that await you in the future.

If you live in the Will County, Illinois, area, here's another way to celebrate gratitude this month.

Happy Monday!

"Cheer Up"

In May, a Korean actor whose talent I really admired passed away suddenly at the age of 68 with no cause of death listed.

One outlet said he suffered from anxiety, depression, and panic attacks. Another said he'd been battling a lung disorder.

A Reddit post with beautiful tributes to this actor had a warning not to speculate on the cause of death, that the posts were being scrutized and manually moderated.

That's how I learned how he had appeared in a lovely music video that was based on a true story.

The singer centered the song on the time her father, a university professor, became depressed after losing his job when she was in high school - and how she, in the video, becomes depressed after failing a job interview as an adult.

So I sought out the music video and watched it. Again and again and again.

For me, the experience of watching it appeared seamless: my grief at the unexpected and actual loss of the actor merged with the true story woven into the few short minutes of the greater message.

What I did not expect - and why I really enjoy some Asian entertainment - was the somber twist at the end of the upbeat, encouraging video (please don't skip to the end; watch it from start to finish).

I loved that this video acknowledged the pain of perceived failure in the moment with the inspiring message.

And I loved the reminder that someone out there really does care about you when all seems lost.

Finally, I really also loved this reminder: that's it's more than perfectly acceptable to praise someone simply for having the courage to get through the day after they've gotten their teeth kicked in.

In fact, both main characters in this video have a loved one literally stamp, "Great job today" on their hands when those characters are feeling at their lowest.

So for anyone reading this: "Living is such a good thing. Great job today."

The video is called "Cheer Up."

Enjoy!

"I Can See Their Memories!"

One of my favorite Mother's Day (perhaps THE favorite) was in 2019, when everyone was out of the house except Timothy and me.

I spent most of the entire day listening to Timothy tell me the story of "Cornell Dyer and the Never Robbers."

And I was just enthralled and eagerly waited for the next word, all the while taking notes, so I could draft the story later.

Although I am the official author for all the books in the BryonySeries subseries "The Adventures of Cornell Dyer," Timothy is the creator for most of the story concepts (except for the last book in the series, which he is writing).

In each book of the Cornell Dyer series, Cornell Dyer has a supernatural mystery to solve.

But this simple mystery story for kids (and the young at heart), "Never Robbers" addresses some very existential topics, including the role memory plays in the existance of people, places, and things.

First, the story summary. And then some thought-provking quotes about "memory" from story.

After a band of robbers steal the motor home of supernatural super sleuth Cornell Dyer, time becomes strange and unpredictable. Events replay themselves with variations. Watches and light sources can’t be trusted. People disappear, and a man who claims to know everything suddenly appears. Cornell is certain soot, a tire swing, and his first unsolved case are somehow connected. But will he solve the mystery before he fades from memory?

The quotes:

"We've all experienced something that is, but not anymore, with people remembering it in various ways. But we're stuck with the original memories, all of the original memories in all their different forms."

Danny Tyler placed a gnarled hand on Cornell's shoulder. "Imagination and memories are a potent combination. In my day people said I was wise. So I've formulated this theory. I think Bishop, Mike, and I are in this situation together because we share a similar memory. And I think we're aging fast today because we're disappearing from memory."

"But even for the people who remember Madeline, she lives only on the tip of their memory, jut out of reach. These people have collectively lost their memories. A memory that, as group, they cannot remember."

"Here's the strange part, Professor," Mike Olsen continued. "It felt as if we'd always been together. Not long after that, we started changing people's minds and memories. And we've been doing that for a really, really long time."

Each person, as they walked, left behind soot, which slowly vanished as they walked.

Cornell gasped. "I can see their memories!"

"If you go back, all the good you've done, and all the bad you've done will become undone," Cornell said. "You will return to the places you belong, and you will have no memory of each other, and you will lose the ability to alter memories."

Cornell shook his head. "That's not how the Madeline effect works. I think you're aging because people aren't remembering you. When memories of people fade.."

"...the people stop existing," Danny Tyler murmured.

Mike frowned. "I know we've changed a lot of memories, but how do you have my watch? And why does it look so old?"

            "Your watch?" Cornell said. "This is not your watch. This was my Grandpa Mo's watch!"

            Danny Tyler stroked his beard. "Mo? As in M.O.? As in, maybe, Mike Olsen?"

            Mike Olsen's eyes grew very wide. "Professor, I'm your grandfather?"

            Cornell ignored the question. "Bishop Cafferty had a watch, too. Where did he get it."

            "Don't know," Danny Tyler said, still looking at his own watch. "We never thought to ask."

I have to tell you, I have never looked at footprints - or even photographs - the same way again.

Look at this photo of these footprints.

Every piece of this is a memory.

This photo from 5:32 p.m. September 22, 2018, preserves all these footprints in the sand, the memory of all the people who left their marks, marks that no longer exist, shoes that likely no longer exist, and (maybe) some of people who no longer exist - or, at the very least - no longer exist in the same way.

The moment I took this photo is just a memory - and less than that, because I don't remember taking this photo.

Furthermore, even I have changed since I snapped this phot.

And yet, something of that moment and all those people who contributed to it, still exists in this way somehow, simply because they left something of themselves behind and a random photo captured that.

Are your eyes roaming this photo, too - wondering?

Explore "Fear" This Month

Very few of us can say we've never been afraid.

Many of us are also afraid to explore those fears.

And perhaps many of us never consider the fears we've addressed.

It's true people don't share the same fears.

But I also believe we also share many of the same fears, since they are part of the human experience.

So this month, with tie-ins from various BryonySeries books, I invite you to explore fear.

Simply visit the BryonySeries calendar, pick a date (any date), read the prompt, and follow the instructions.

You may be suprised on how many times you relate to one or more of these common fears.

Or maybe not.