Shoshana's Garden

I wrote this in 2021 - the first year the children and I were back in the US. There have been days and moments I want to give this all up, but it became part of me, and I absolutely LOVE what I learned while I lived in Israel. It is now my faith journey and I cannot go back. I will never force anyone to believe as I do. My prayer is that it plants seeds into your heart to dig deeper into WHO Jesus is. Yes, He is our Savior and Messiah and that is the most important piece we n

I've gone back and forth about writing this, but it is on my heart so I probably should. I have been questioning this past week if there is something wrong with being "too honest." Obviously most people are taught not to lie... Can being too honest be just as hurtful as telling someone a lie? Are there times when we really should not be honest? At work a couple weeks ago I was involved in a 16 hour (4 days of 4 hours) training to learn how to carry on a "Crucial Conversation.

This week has been a long week... I was privileged to be a part of some management training at work called "Crucial Conversations." I admit I was dreading it. I had read the book as part of a book study and I grasped the concept and yet... I hate public speaking and I hate being vulnerable. I did both this week. And, for the most part I enjoyed it. It was something that needed to be done. It was exhausting... And it seems to have left me in a state of uncertainty. That being

This may end up becoming a bunch of rambling words with no direction, but I wanted to write today. The word that came to my mind as I was deciding what to write about was the word, "capture." I know this word can mean someone wants to "catch something," say an animal or person, and hold them as a prisoner. It can also be the idea that an army captures a city and now has control. The first thought that comes to mind when I think of this word is the idea of "capture the moment.

The word vulnerable has been running around in my head for several weeks. I haven't been able to write because of some traveling I have done on the weekends. One weekend I went to Chicago to pick my children up from the airport, got home at 3 am and turned around and went back to a Chicago suburb to spend 24 hours with a couple that I had not seen in 13 or 14 years. A much needed time together... The next weekend I thought that I had nothing planned, and then my son told me s

I have wanted to write the past couple of weeks... the last couple weekends I have had things I needed to do. Action was required. I'm going to be honest and say, the action of what I needed to do was not exactly exciting. It required driving. It required talking about the past. It required emotional energy that is not always easy to give. It has required giving of myself again and attempting to move forward, and yet... wondering if I really did or not. Sometimes things just

I get it - the title isn't the most exciting. No one wants to feel guilt. No one wants to have that pain in their mind and heart. And yet, it happens. Certain pieces of my life lately have caused me to struggle with guilt. I don't plan to spill my guts and say why. I'm sure that will start the minds of gossips thinking and assuming... Thing is, my struggles are between me and the person(s) it affects, not the world. To be honest, most of it is me taking on guilt that I should

Growing up I was told to "savor the moments" because time begins to go faster as you age. Hard to understand when you are young, carefree and just "do." I am finding that it is true. Life definitely seems to be going faster every year. And yet, now I find myself with more time again... My youngest graduated this year. She is beginning her new journey as a young adult. Her older siblings are making their decisions and moving on with life as well. This all means I have more tim

In a world that feels like the chaos is leading to closure and endings, there are still beginnings. This week a friend shared that her father had passed away. The wars raging in areas around the world also make it feel like some kind of end is near. Constant changes in life sometimes feel overwhelming and you just want them to end. And yet... those changes can bring beginnings that are good. My friend found hope and peace in the midst of her grief. A new beginning that brough

I wanted to title this Shavuot, but thought that it might scare some people off. Many are celebrating Pentecost this weekend. Guess what, Pentecost originated from Shavuot. I'm excited to celebrate with my kids today! I actually wrote this years ago, but when I read it this morning it was so applicable for me today that I copied and pasted it. Waiting... I'm kind of in that place right now and it isn't always easy. Waiting… Shavuot… Pentecost… What do these things have in com