Psalm 139:13-16 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Fifty-three years and nine months ago today, I was being created. I wish my mom were here to celebrate with me, she’s been gone five years, one month and thirty-eight days…I miss her laugh, the most. Today, I will be attending my moms family reunion, “The Sanders Family Reunion” at Turkey Run State Park. I am looking forward to seeing aunts and uncles, first cousins, second cousins…etc. We will reminisce about those who are no longer with us, but celebrate their spirit that lives on within our hearts. I will be missing my moms homemade macaroni salad, homemade mac & cheese, and homemade chocolate sheet cake! Then, there’s grandmas homemade chicken & noodles and mashed potatoes…I think I’ve gained weight just thinking about all these wonderful treats from the past. These are my memories and I will always cherish them but there’s room for new favorites prepared by the next generation of “Sanders” and we will create new memories today. I am reminded of a wonderful movie I saw called “The Book of Life” although the movie is about Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a holiday that celebrates those who have passed, its message can be celebrated anytime because when we remember those we love that have passed, they remain alive in our hearts. Life is short even for those who live to be in their eighties or nineties, and beyond, embrace life, share love and kindness and you will always be remembered by those who knew you. Time flies, I am fifty-three…(long sigh…) I do not know what I’m supposed to be feeling, I look in the mirror and it’s the same face I’ve been looking at for as long as I can remember. Sure, there’s wrinkles and lines, gray hair shining through and my body is bit more stiff than I choose to admit, but I feel that time has passed too quickly. Time is still measured at twenty-four hours in a day, how is it that my mind has trouble with that knowledge because I remember things so vividly like they just happened the other day.  Such as my sixteenth birthday, I really wanted a cake with yellow roses on it, my mom made it happen, I got a cake with yellow roses! HaHa! I remember wanted to be a professional softball player when I was in high school, before that was even a thing. Graduating from high school and being the first in my family to go away to college, what an adventure that was. My first job after college was coaching and teaching, the money was not great in fact it wasn’t even good money but the memories were and are priceless. I’ve experienced life in many different ways and I’ve experienced good things and bad, all have helped to mold me into the person I am today. I come from along list of strong and confident women, “Sanders” women! This day may be my birthday but it’s so much more than just about me, if it weren’t for my mom and the lessons she learned from her mom, and so on, back in time, I would not be the person I am today. I am proud to be the daughter of Shirley (Peach) Lee Sanders Robinson and the granddaughter of Betty Jo Corey Sanders Nelson. I am blessed.

“The world keeps spinning, and the tales keep turning, and people come and people go, but they’re never forgotten. And the one truth we know, it held true one more time… That love, true love, the really, really good kind of love never dies.” ~”The Book of Life” movie quote.

“All of these families have lost someone, but as long as we remember them, we can feel their presence with us for one night each year.” ~”The Book of Life” movie quote.

~Blessings and Peace~

She greets life daily with a smile and friendly gestures. To assume she’s faking would be a dire mistake. She loves to meet people and share in their day, it’s like oxygen to her lungs. She is generous and kind, energized by the diversity of people who bring sunshine into her life. She sees herself quite simple and extremely blessed. She knows that she has way more than most people dream of having, she is conscientious of her privilege and does not think herself better than others. She is curious about life and the meaning of it all. She strives to understand the universe and it’s vastness. She has faith in God, the Creator of Heaven and earth. She seeks to live into the purpose of her life that was prepared and planned by God, Himself. This seems as good a place as any to pause and ask the question, “troubled, tortured soul?” She confides in only a few, as if it’s a deadly devastating thing to be “troubled and tortured” her words not mine, and I am cautious to not question and be supportive. She wants to be, to do, she sees value in others so easily and when she looks at her own reflection, misses the beauty that others notice straight away. I failed to mention that she is smart and articulate, competitive and gracious, funny and light-hearted. On the surface she is brave and confident, just beneath the surface self-doubt starts sniffing about to find remnants of faults and fears from long ago. She keeps these at bay because she’s learned the craftiness of their ways over the years and most days she knocks the wind from their soaring sails and sends them to lonely shores filled with the wreckage of ships on a collision course of defeat. She sees the glass half full sometimes and half empty at other times. The timing of life’s experiences changes which she sees first which guides her decisions. If she were to seek advice from me, I would say to her…it matters not which comes first, half full or half empty, it only matters the path you choose to take once all the facts are known. There’s no such thing as a “perfect” life. If not for doubts and defeats, we would not know the sensation of courage and victory. I would also share this with her, treat yourself with the same respect that you so freely give to others. A troubled and tortured soul perhaps, but the joys of knowing the opposite is the reward in itself!  “A life that is planned is a closed life, my friend. It can be endured but it cannot be lived.” ~
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, 1958

~Blessings and Peace~



It starts with one person. Sharing your story with a single person will reach more people than you can ever imagine. Sharing the Good News of Jesus starts precisely at the place you are at, at this very moment. God uses us in every moment and situation we are in to bring the Word of God to others. In fact, you are able to reach others without ever speaking a word, it’s true! A simple act of bowing your head before eating a meal, closing your eyes prior to (whatever you are doing) shooting a basketball, stepping into the batters box, kicking a football, walking onto a stage, driving a car, flying a plane, or driving a school bus and more. God can use each of us, using the smallest parts of ourselves to bring about great changes in the world, He ask only that we are faithful and to take the first step of faith. I made the biggest and best decision of my life, not simply from hearing a minister preach a sermon or a church building or congregation, not from someone quoting me scripture, no it was through the observation and inclusion into a family of a high school friend. They loved me and included me as if I was an extension of their family. I saw LOVE and more importantly I felt LOVED and I learned that God was the source of it all. I wanted to have what they had, it was hard to describe and harder yet to ask for. It wasn’t a thing, it was more a feeling. I now know it was a yearning to trust and believe in God, I was seeking a personal relationship with God. I was able to see God through their relationships with one another and by how they treated others. I learned early on that God was not about perfection, harmony, trendy homes, cars, or fashion…it was how you treat people. On September 6th, 1979 I had a conversation with my mom about God and she called the Pastor from the Christian School my brother and I attended and at 10:10pm that night I ask Jesus to save me and forgive my sins, to be my Lord and Savior. Since that time I have learned and grown in my faith and I still seek to be the whole person God created me to be. To date, the most valuable lesson I’ve learned about life is this…no two are alike. God created each person with and for a purpose. Our growth charts and levels of achievements are not for comparing ourselves with one another, we are to challenge ourselves daily to be more Christlike than we were the day before. We can’t change yesterday and tomorrow will always be a day away. Live today with all your being. There have been times in my life when I’ve told myself that I’m not good enough, I should have learned that lesson long ago, I should have known better the second time, I…I…I!!! It wasn’t until I allowed myself some grace and forgiveness, the things that I freely give to everyone else in my life, did I truly recognize that I’m O.K., so what if I had relationships not work out, so what if I didn’t get my Masters before I was 35, and all the other lists of things I had placed as a threshold upon myself, God had not made those demands, I did. God loves me with or without my list of “do’s!” I am more fully aware of how to be a better partner in a relationship now, because I know what doesn’t work for me and what does. I have learned the value of having a job I love because of my experiences at jobs I’ve had, jobs I’ve quit, and even jobs I was asked to leave. If I had never experienced those situations I would not know what truly makes me want to go to work every day, it’s more than a means to an end, its joys and challenges, it’s a privilege and an honor and it’s relationships with people. It’s our experiences, good and bad that help us know ourselves and learn life’s lessons that can’t simply be learned from reading a book or even by watching someone else. Embrace your experiences, hold onto your truths and set everything else free. Free yourself of the burdens of carrying regrets, mistakes, and pain, learn from them and then LET THEM GO! I like the person I am, I think today was the first day I’ve said that out loud to myself and believe it with all my being. I said to a friend today, “I’m not here for the taking, for people to pick and choose what they want, I can make choices for myself.” All of this is about relationships with ourselves, with our friends, family, coworkers, the world and most importantly our relationship with God. Reaching the multitudes sounds so overwhelming but trust me it’s not, being true to yourself, being responsible and respecting others can spread more good and positivity than any words could ever hope to. You can change a person’s whole outlook on themselves and life in general simply by smiling and making eye contact, holding a door for someone, saying “thank you” or ” you’re welcome.” Invest in yourself, then share the profits of that with the world.
~Blessings and Peace~
“Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” ~Exodus 4:10-11
“They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” ~Acts 16:31
“…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;” ~Romans 10:9