by joanborton | Sep 12, 2023 | Disability, Lessons Learned, Marriage, Vulnerability
Vulnerability. Much easier to talk about and expect from others than to live that way ourselves. After all, one definition is to be exposed and open to attack. Rarely do we want to put ourselves in that position. Yet we long for authenticity. I came face to face with...
by joanborton | Sep 1, 2023 | Caregiving, Disability, Family, Instructions for Life, Lessons Learned
Caregiving friends, do you ever get smug? You know, self-satisfied, puffed up, or feeling an air of superiority in your caregiving role? The time that comes most readily to mind for me is when a news story came out several years ago. It was the sad news that...
by joanborton | Dec 22, 2021 | Instructions for Life, Lessons Learned
My husband and I play a game around birthdays, Christmas, or any other gift-giving occasion. It goes like this, “So, what’d you get me?” Sometimes the phrase is said once in passing, and sometimes repeated in rapid succession to wear the giver down to reveal a clue....
by joanborton | Aug 25, 2021 | God's love, Instructions for Life, Lessons Learned
We were on the way to an appointment, driving on a heavily used two-lane road with safety crosshatches separating each direction. Looking ahead, I saw an elderly person in a manual wheelchair moving backward across the middle of the thoroughfare. They were using their...
by JemB | Mar 16, 2021 | Instructions for Life, Lessons Learned, Ponderings
An oak tree stood tall in our front yard, planted by the builder nearly three years ago. This was the standard tree most of our community received. As the neighborhood grew, so did concern about how invasive and troublesome the oak tree roots would become. One of...
by JemB | Mar 8, 2021 | Instructions for Life, Lessons Learned, Marriage, Marriage Monday
On a recent trip to another city, I checked in to the hotel while Jerry was unloading from our van. Miss V, the front desk clerk, recognized my name from an earlier phone call and greeted me warmly. I asked if I could see the room before completing the paperwork. Even...