10 Cuttin Sage

I made a choice to be a stay-at-home parent about 30 years ago. When young and single, I was a prestige-seeking, briefcase- carrying, suit-wearing career woman determined to make it in the corporate world because I felt that I had to prove myself to parents (who paid for my college education and wanted more opportunity for their one and only daughter) and prove myself to academics who felt that all women needed to modernize and get involved in the feminist movement which was just beginning to blossom at that time. I felt that I had no value unless I was a college-educated career woman. However.... as the biological clock ticked on with an Energizer bunny battery and my 30’s approached with frightening speed, that “old-fashioned” nesting/nurturing instinct kicked in with equal ferocity and I soon realized that I not only wanted to be a mother but I wanted to make a serious career out of it, much more than any corporate job I had ever had! Fortunately, The Doer of All Things Well h

A week after Hurricane Maria and we are here on the island, The Doer and I.  There was little damage here on Ocracoke, praise God..... some high water which got into our little storage shed under the house, but not into the Boathouse or main cottage.  We have close family friends in Puerto Rico (we call them our Puerto Rican family, and may even be a blog subject down the road) who's lives have been traumatized by the storm; through the decimation of their yards and gardens, power outage, fear of looting, etc. but we are very thankful that they are safe and well. This was a much needed vacation after another Summer of Aunt Blanche for me and an extremely stressful work season for the Doer. So thankful for a place to get away from the “worries of the world”. The week after a fall hurricane brings with it blissful weather and the Doer and I have been soaking up the sunshine and cool breezes. October is paradise here on Ocracoke Island. The doors and windows are flung wide open ev

They say that life is like the four seasons:  Spring is.....  birth, childhood, beginnings,  freedom, freshness, far-flung future, joy of the present, endless possibilities.  Summer is..... young adulthood, living in the present, vitality, busyness, planning ahead. Autumn is.....  middle-age, seriousness, questions, fleeting of the present, limited possibilities, future is now.  Winter is.....  old-age, living in the past, fear of the future, grasping at the present. I guess I’m in the Goldenrod and Sedum days of life: the Autumn; the shorter days and longer nights, the introspection of what’s left of limited possibilities, the bucket list time of life.  Spring has always been my favorite time of the year until fairly recently. Now, as beautiful and hopeful as the springtime is, it represents much hardship.... watering, weed-pulling, digging, hauling and planting which I generally love, but has gotten more difficult for this aging body.  Autumn now re

Some years are tough. I’m thankful for His grace in that I haven’t had many of those.   I know people at this very moment who are suffering through some unbelievable trials; far worse than I can imagine right now.  Sometimes I feel guilty dwelling on my pain, but if from guilt I ignore and suppress my pain, then I belittle all of us who are suffering in our own ways; and just because my pain or your pain is small compared to those who have "big problems” doesn’t mean we are not allowed to feel our suffering just the same and to talk about it and share it with others. Pain is extremely personal.   Last summer, a year ago to be exact, I posted “The Summer of Aunt Blanche”.  It was an experience of reflection to see who I am in Christ. It was a summer to practice grace and to receive grace from God, the Grace-Giver. It was a summer of learning how to be less self-centered and more self-less.  It was exactly what God, the Grace-Giver wants us to do when He allows testing and t

I just celebrated a birthday.... 59 as a matter of fact.  I’m not ashamed to admit my age because it really doesn’t matter.  As I get older and increase in years, gray hair (thank you, God, for good colorists), wrinkles (from enjoying way too much sun in my fair-skinned youth), and joint pain (from way too much gardening), I can’t think of anything I would have changed or done differently.  I wouldn’t have traded those sun-filled days by pool and beach for anything! Those are the best memories I have!  The joint pain is proof of my love for gardening (my garden spaces are really quite beautiful) and I won’t give up the spade and shovel until my fingers are completely frozen.  The gray hair is easy to cover up.  So I’m thankful for good health and I will wear these signs of aging with pride and I’ll keep on plugging away until I literally can’t anymore. Age truly is just a state of mind and, as I am no longer young, (well, Aunt Blanche thinks I look like a teenager but she’s 102) I’m no

Last Friday, I took a trip to a honeybee farm about 3 hours from home to pick up my 2 boxes of honeybees that I had ordered a couple of months ago.  This was not without a heavy load of anxiety and trepidation.  With Mr. Dodson gone, I knew I was completely on my own.  I could not fathom the experience of traveling 3 hours with 30,000 honeybees in my car.  My fear level was pretty high, I must admit.  My daughter, The Teacher, said it was like a Fear Factor episode!  (But I didn’t win a million dollars).  Thank goodness it was a beautiful, sunny, “sapphire throne” kind of day and I focused on prayer and scripture all the way to the farm and back.  It’s amazing (although it shouldn’t be) how prayer and scripture meditation bring peace (that surpasses all understanding).  So a focus primarily on Philippians 4:13 and Philippians 4:6-7 brought me (through the Holy Spirit) the peace I needed to get through that journey. I got home that evening, donned my bee suit, and placed the bees into 2