A Perfect 10

What is a “Perfect 10”? To some, it’s the errorless performance of a lifetime that wins gold medals on the world stage and in the Olympics. To others, it’s the quintessential man or woman who embodies perfection in looks, personality,

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I Am Not A Warrior

If you had to choose one word to describe yourself, what would it be? Of course I’d love to use words like fun or adventurous or daring to describe me. There have been many times I could accurately say broken,

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Girls Just Want To Be Loved

What’s your greatest desire? When I think about what girls want the first thing that comes to mind is the Cyndi Lauper song Girls Just Want To Have Fun (also remade by Miley Cyrus–who knew?). According to the song, that’s all we really

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Postcards from the Edge

What’s the coolest postcard you’ve ever received? My friends and family have traveled to some fabulous places so I’ve been the recipient of awesome cards. But my mom takes the cake. A few months ago she and my stepfather were

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Too Many Pity Shots Ruin The Party

Have you ever been at a party where someone had too much to drink? It can get ugly. Whether “true feelings” flow or someone is emboldened by lack of judgment, generally tears are involved. Harsh words erupt. Tempers flare. The

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Lost for Words to Say and Pray

Have you ever played Wheel of Fortune, Pictionary or one of those other games where you’re trying to guess a word that’s being described? Yes, there are hints and clues. But sometimes what seems so obvious to one person just

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What is True Love?

Have you ever experienced true love? Love that never fades. A depth of love that comes when two people are committed to going the distance. No matter what. A love based on friendship, mutual respect and trust that overflows in

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Running on Empty

Have you ever wished you could just run away? I have. Sometimes I want to run away from something. Sometimes I feel the need to get away to something different. Sometimes I want to run ahead, because surely there’s supposed

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Can You Hear Me Now?–Talking To God

Do you remember those TV commercials for the wireless phone company where the guy would be in all kinds of crazy places as he tested the connection by asking, “Can you hear me now?” The idea was that no matter

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Rebel, The Black Sheep

What do people think of you? That’s a hard question to answer. Different people know us in different ways. Some know us from the past, and continue to view us in light of what we used to do or how

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Broken Leg Syndrome–Running from God

What’s the oddest job you or someone you know has on their resume? I’ve been rather mainstream in my work experience since my oddest jobs were camp counselor for autistic children and veterinarian assistant. Although I did muck stalls at

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Fishing v. Phishing – Dangers of Gossip

Not all girls are outdoorsy types, but have you ever had an outdoor experience that made you feel like one with nature? Like you were a part of what was happening in the serene world that others may never see?

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Into Darkness Shines the Light of Hope

Do you know anyone who’s been in the dark pits of life? Maybe it was you. Maybe the pit was more like an abyss where the silence of isolation was deafening and the terror was real. Some of us have

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Fairytales and Fables

What’s your favorite fairytale? Cinderella and Snow White are classics, with the outcast young girl being noticed and then rescued by the handsome young prince. And of course they live happily ever after. What’s not to love? We secretly (or

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Is Failure Another Broken Dream?

Would you categorize your life as a success or failure? That’s a hard question. Most of us don’t necessarily think of our life as being successful because we know the truth of where we’ve been and where we are. And

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More Than a Spiritual Snack

What kind of snacker are you: Savory or Sweet? Do chips and salsa call your name as you graze toward salty nuts, pizza and something with a kick of heat? Or are you lulled by softer fare like melt-in-your-mouth doughnuts,

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Big Encouragement in Small Packages

Have you ever gotten one of those “inspirational” chain emails that says, “Make sure you read through to the end!”? I’m all about trying to encourage others with something funny or inspirational. But the problem I have with most chain

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The 3 C’s of Rising Above

Have you ever felt like you were stuck? Stuck because you agreed to something you didn’t really want to do? Stuck because decisions you made had consequences you didn’t anticipate? Stuck because circumstances or the decisions of others were out

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Beauty Secret #27–Burn Off Bitterness

Do you ever scan magazine covers when you’re waiting in line at the grocery or convenience store? It’s hard not to. The headlines grab us–who’s in, who’s out, who’s this week’s hottest scandal. Even for those of us not following

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Thunderstorms that Rock the House

Do you like thunderstorms? Some people chase them. Some are terrified of them. Me, I love them. I love the deep rolls of thunder that you not only hear but you feel down in your soul. I love watching the

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Forgotten Dreams

    Many of us have endured the pangs of despair and heavy sorrow from shattered hopes and dreams. If this is where you are today, my heart goes out to you. I am truly sorry that you’re in pain.

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My Day as a Race Car Driver

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? In kindergarten, my teacher had each student make a “book” of pictures we drew showing three things we dreamed of being when we got older. My

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Drive Life’s Highway–Eyes on the Road

What was it like when you learned to drive? Did you have to take a Driver’s Ed course? Did a parent or family member sit in the passenger seat barking out instructions–one after another–until you were ready to pull the

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The Struggling Worm

Have you ever gone to a bridal shower, baby shower or other gathering and you have to play a game to get to know the other people at the party? Personally, I hate those games (ok, maybe “hate” is too

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Living in the Middle–Addiction Shadows

Have you ever known someone struggling with addiction? My experience is that they often laugh it off or minimize its affect on them. Even our society doesn’t seem to think some addictions are all that serious. Workaholic? At least they’re

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View through the Keyhole

What do you think of when someone says “keyhole”? Nowadays, we have a small metal slit that our slender key fits in as it unlocks a deadbolt or doorknob. But have you ever seen a really old door? You know,

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Where’s the Hand Gel? – Real Life Dirt

Are we obsessed with being clean? No really. There was a time when there were only two kinds of soap: liquid and bar. Liquid was used for washing dishes and the bar was for washing people. Now there’s liquid, bar,

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Believing In God In A World Gone Mad–#2

Yesterday I shared about my conversation with a friend who’s an atheist. He doesn’t believe in God. My friend and I began our discussion by talking about whether or not God exists. Then he moved on to the obstacles preventing

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Believing In God In A World Gone Mad–#1

I talked to a friend of mine recently who’s an atheist. He doesn’t believe that God exists. Every couple of months we have a discussion about the new “theories” of science or what atheist leaders are saying about creation and

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Message in the Chocolate

Do you ever have one of those cravings where nothing will satisfy you until you get specifically what you’re craving? I do. I crave dark chocolate. My love of this decadent (and nutritious) dessert is no secret. But many times

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Your Deepest Secret–Don’t Tell Anyone

Can you keep a secret? We know secrets. We hide our own. We promise to carry someone else’s. We listen to the whispers of gossip as bonds of trust are broken. We clamor to hear the exposed secrets of celebrities

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Dump the Destination–Choose to Cruise

If you had the opportunity to plan a vacation, would you fly to a city or beach of your choice and spend your time based out of one location, or would you go on a cruise so you could visit

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A Shoe Fetish–The Early Years

How do you feel about shoes? It may seem like a crazy question, but really, what’s your opinion? Are you the type of person who thinks shoes serve the basic function of protecting your feet, so you have the obligatory

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We Are Survivors!

Our world can be a dark and scary place. Bad people are doing bad things. Bad things happen to good people. Senseless things happen to innocent people. We see it. We hear about it. Some of us live it. People

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Victory Thinking

We have a lot on our minds. I don’t know about you, but my mind is constantly racing trying to keep up with everything. Work, school, family, relationships, finances, health issues, cleaning, errands–to name just a few. Busyness. Non-stop juggling

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