Enjoy the Highs, Endure the Lows, and Keep Moving Forward — The last few months have been crazy, tough, and revealing, when I’ve been willing to step back and ponder. When I started my blog GracebytheCup.com, I wanted to focus on how Grace is present in our lives in so many little ways. But the last couple of months, all I’ve…

Fear and the Hunger for Power Affect Us All — Less than twenty-four hours ago as I write this, Russia attacked Ukraine under Putin’s orders. This should come as a surprise to no one. Putin felt threatened by (read: fearful of) Ukraine’s desire to align with Western Europe and away from his sphere of influence. Fear is a basic, hard-wired…

Humans Think We Have It Good But I’m Telling You It Ain’t True! — A few weekends ago, a bump grew on my right-back paw. It bugged me, so I was licking it a lot. Mom caught me doing that, and off we went to the vet. Like most dogs, I hate going to the vet. The first trip wasn’t too bad. …

It’s So Nice To Be Appreciated! — On December 23rd, I walked into my office, sat down, and nearly burst into tears. On my desk were two Christmas cards from the four women I work most closely with. I was overwhelmed with gratitude, humility, and joy. I finally found my fit. Let me explain. I decided to…

What Is an Old Dog To Do? — You know I don’t complain much. Even when my hips hurt, I still like going on walks with Mom. But it’s been hard to be good this last year. Daddy got a new job in the summer, which made both of my parents happy. But it took so long to…

Medium Has Been Invaded — I don’t know where they’ve come from, but in the last six months or so there has been a change in the people reading and writing here. I’m not talking about the algorithms, strange contest results, or making money. …

Great Expectations Meet Mundane Fails — I took an unplanned road trip a short time ago. It wasn’t at all what I expected or felt I needed. My husband scored a job 1500 miles away from home. He expected to be staying in a motel and took the absolute minimum. But after getting there, he found…

Don’t Believe Me? Read On — Anyone who doesn’t live in a bubble has noticed that “common courtesy” seems to have been abandoned in the last several years, giving way to aggressive entitlement. Road rage, out of control airplane passengers, street fights and violent death are all on the rise. …

Labels Don’t Tell the Whole Story — Labels Don’t Tell the Whole Story Labeling is a basic survival activity of our brain. We need labels such as danger, safe, sweet, bitter, and scary. Some of these we learn before we can formulate words for them. Consider the infant who bonds to their mother as a source of food and comfort but startles at…