barbieodom

‘Til We Meet Again

Dad didn’t want any more kids, but Mom did. She got a babysitter (for the four they already had), met him at the airport and swooped him up and off to dinner, drinks and a night away…and I showed up nine months later during a tornado, or so I have been told. (I have twoContinue reading “‘Til We Meet Again”

Pilgrim’s Inn

I have mentioned our house before. Just now the walls are comfortably bulging with one of my sons and his family transitioning with us on their way to their next ‘home’. That is four people, including an eight-year-old and a five-year-old plunked down in the middle of our settled older-people routines, T.V. habits and idiosyncrasies.Continue reading “Pilgrim’s Inn”

The Folly of Fear

Fear cripples. I have a shoulder injury that is absolutely a result of fear. It was about 5 years ago and I was standing up on the back of a sled being pulled by a snow mobile. I just KNEW that I was going to fall off…fear was playing tricks on me…and so I letContinue reading “The Folly of Fear”

We are 39

Milton and I just passed our 39th wedding anniversary. Goodness. Marriage is the hardest thing I have ever done. I made the mistake of reading lots of christian romances before I got married and they set me up for a huge let down! It was a total shock that Milton wasn’t just like Jesus…but moreContinue reading “We are 39”

Home

I love to travel. I will never forget the first time I boarded a plane—it was 1978. I was 18 years old and headed to Israel for a year that turned into four. I remember reading that we all have one of two basic needs that drive us: security or adventure. Me? Adventure. I alsoContinue reading “Home”

The Gift of Grace

Norma Grace Odom was born into privilege. I don’t mean that as an accusation—as it might be interpreted today. She was blessed to be born to hard working, salt of the earth, educated parents. Her mom and dad (and aunts) were college graduates. That may not sound like a big deal—but these women got theirContinue reading “The Gift of Grace”

Mojoring on Mangers

I really meant to keep it simple this year. Just home from a great trip, catching up on laundry and mail and the piles of newspapers. No kids or grandkids celebrating Christmas with us this year. Maybe no tree even. But I couldn’t help myself. So I decorated between loads of laundry. And this yearContinue reading “Mojoring on Mangers”

Homestretch

We are home y’all! It kind of feels like we orbitted down to Key Largo and then were flung back home, and suddenly, here we are. But it wasn’t really like that. We had adventures all along the way, not the least of which was the beautiful and diverse country we passed through, and theContinue reading “Homestretch”

The Gulag Archipelago Book Review

Out of concern for a socialist/communist trend in our country I decided to read The Gulag Archipelago, a big, fat book that has been sitting on my shelf for years. It is 620 pages—I checked more than once. “How do people get to this clandestine Archipelago? …Those who, like you and me, dear reader, goContinue reading “The Gulag Archipelago Book Review”

Yonder Down South

After Mike’s Farm we kept our southern track, driving almost 400 miles to a place called Four Arches Farm in Georgia, near Savannah. This farm is much different than Mike’s Farm which, though lovely, is large with lots of employees. Four Arches Farm is basically a couple’s home, and we parked under a Spanish MossContinue reading “Yonder Down South”