Vocally Yours

07/04/2025

Over the last several years, I've enjoyed sitting with my parents and my sister and her family as I've watched 4 of my nieces and nephews march in the Gahanna 4th of July parade!💜🇺🇸🎼

07/04/2025

06/06/2025

"It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary."
~Paulo Coelho

05/27/2025

I read a devotion once that talked about how our attitudes - grumpy or grateful- are contagious, and I began to consider what that looks like in my life.

😁When I greet a stranger with a smile, that person is likely to smile back, or at least have his/her spirit lifted for a moment.

💖If I give a little grace to the server at a restaurant who's having a bad day and is perhaps providing somewhat subpar service, I offer them the opportunity to change their mindset for the day (or at least their shift) and thereby perhaps provide better service, whereas showing my frustration and annoyance just adds to their challenging circumstances or negative attitude.

💐At one time there was a commercial -I can't remember what it was for- that portrayed someone performing a random act of kindness. The person who received that kindness went on to do something kind for someone else, beginning a cycle of kindness. It was both beautiful and inspiring!

🥰The Bible provides wisdom about how a gentle word is like honey -sweet for the soul and healthy for the body. Imagine your kind word being sweet for someone's soul! It makes me tear up a bit.

🤔Consider this: What if each of us began to develop a practice of intentional gratitude, grace and kindness toward those we encounter? Offering a kind word in a difficult conversation. Extending grace instead of expressing anger or frustration. Simply smiling and saying hello instead of looking down or staring at our phones.

Of course we are all human, and there will be days that WE are the ones who need grace extended or kindness in return for a grumpy attitude. But if more and more people began to, as the saying goes, "spread kindness like confetti," 🎉we could make life a lot more pleasant. Isn't that a lovely thought?

05/15/2025

05/15/2025

In this photo, the window screen makes the view look fuzzy, but that doesn't change the beauty of what's on the other side of the window. 🦋🐦💐

Sometimes life is like that. 😳Disappointment and discouragement when things are difficult can challenge our ability to see the good, positive things that are happening or that are possible.

🤔But the truth is, if we look hard enough - if we choose to seek the positive in each situation, we can sift through the negative noise and be encouraged as we find reasons to keep moving forward.

This doesn't mean that what's hard doesn't exist or doesn't matter. It does mean that we can choose not to stay focused on it and allow it to consume us.

🧐What do you do to stay focused on moving forward in difficult times?

My faith - choosing to trust God- is what keeps me going.✝️ Philippians 4:4-8 reminds us to rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS, to not be anxious about things, and to bring our requests to Him with thanksgiving🙏. When we follow these words of instruction, Jesus offers a peace that is beyond our understanding. We are also reminded to focus on what is true, honorable/noble, worthy, pure, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. 💜I find that when I keep my mind set on these things, I'm less likely to feel overwhelmed and swallowed up by difficult circumstances.

05/14/2025

🎁If you're looking for a thoughtful graduation gift for a special high school or college graduate in your life, my Daily Graces Bible Affirmation cards are the perfect way to arm them with truth from the Word of God as they take the next steps in their journey.

✝️Daily Graces are 31 cards with beautiful, colorful images prayerfully chosen to accompany Bible-based reminders of how much they are loved by God and who they are in Jesus. 💜 The cards come in a sturdy, clear plastic container that can be used to display the cards on a desk or bedside table, or for your graduate to carry them with them for handy, on-the-go encouragement and affirmation.

💟You can place your order here ($16.95/box + shipping if not local to Columbus, Ohio for pickup or delivery):

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeLIaEsUZ0RnhFXoG0G6FE7Vhupiu3UyZJYfGyL92rBlBDn4w/viewform

05/07/2025

John 8:12 AMP
[12] Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

https://bible.com/bible/1588/jhn.8.12.AMP

05/02/2025

Looking for a unique and meaningful gift for Mother's Day?

Consider Daily Graces ✝️ : 31 Bible-based affirmations with scripture printed on beautiful, prayerfully selected images and stored in a sturdy, clear plastic case.

Use the case to display the cards on your desk or bedside table, or to carry the cards with you wherever you go. These cards are meant to be read over and over until the promises and affirmations become deeply embedded in your heart and mind.💜

☑️You may order using this link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeLIaEsUZ0RnhFXoG0G6FE7Vhupiu3UyZJYfGyL92rBlBDn4w/viewform or by emailing me directly at [email protected].

04/21/2025

This is the final day of 21 Days of Gratitude. In the last several years, I have been working on a mindset of "being thankful in all circumstances," praising God in both good and difficult times, and looking for the ways He is working in my life. But sometimes I need a reminder and perhaps a bit of a reset to refine my focus, and that's what these 21 days have been.

There's no way I could have known that the last two weeks would involve my Dad being very ill and in the hospital, but God did, and He used this commitment to daily recording three reasons for being grateful to keep my mind focused on HIM and His goodness and faithfulness instead of going down the path of "what if..." Dad still has some challenging days ahead, but he knows he can trust God to provide just what he needs and that he can lean on Jesus. And God has prepared my heart to trust His faithfulness to care for both of my parents in the next steps and to continue to provide just what our family needs.

I'm grateful today for answered prayers and for grace to trust that more answers are on the way.

I'm grateful that Jesus is the reason for our hope in every circumstance and every season of life.

I'm grateful for my sister, who has been able to be with Mom pretty much daily when I couldn't be so she didn't have to be alone at the hospital.

And I'm grateful that my brother and his wife prepared a little worship service with music and communion in Dad's room yesterday.

If you've followed along on this 21 day journey, I hope that you've been encouraged to begin your own gratitude practice or to give your current practice a little boost or reset if it's needed.

04/20/2025

Today is day 20 of 21 Days of Gratitude. More importantly, it is Resurrection Day or Easter Sunday. Today I celebrate with millions of others around the world what I am most grateful for - the resurrection of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am grateful that He loved us so much that He left His home in heaven to be with us and to pay our debt of sin. I am grateful that His redeeming sacrifice made a restored relationship between God and us possible. I am grateful that He promises to be with us, and that we can live victoriously in a world filled with strife because of HIM. And I am grateful that I can freely share the reason for my hope with anyone who would like to hear it.