Tag Archives: Faith

America, American Politics, Hope, Voting, Washington DC

“Small Potatoes”

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In case you haven’t seen or heard this, the current resident of the White House recently commented that the damage to the U.S. in the war he chose to embark on with Iran, was “small potatoes”.

Can you imagine? The 18 families grieving their loved ones who died in this debacle certainly don’t think this is “small potatoes”. What an insult. What an abhorrent thing to say or even to think. The man has no respect for anyone.

It is astonishing to me that his fat orange ass is still in his job. That in spite of all the damage he’s caused since he glided down that escalator, he gets to keep his job. It’s like, America, are you for real right now?

I believe that this issue, this war with Iran and his casual dismissal of the damage it’s caused and lives it’s taken, will be the last straw that will get people to the polls in November. You would have thought the last straw might have been the Epstein files, his tarrifs, or his insistence on desecrating the White House and the Kennedy Center. But disrespecting our troops and not having a plan to get them out of there…it’s gotta be the beginning of the end for this evil White House mafia’s reign, right?

The mid-terms are right around the corner-a mere 39 days away now, my fellow American friends. This is our chance to use the power we have and get these bums out of office and welcome in new, progressive energy. After we vote in people who can right this ship, just imagine what America can begin to look like. I believe the pendulum is going to swing harder than ever to the other side at this point. History is on our side.

Our job now is to get through to the mid-terms. Knowing there will be shenanigans, as the MAGA coalition is going to do all it can, legal or not, to thwart the will of the people. I don’t know about you, but I can’t not do anything at all to try to push things in the right direction between now and then. I recently found a company that you can puchase postcards from, which provides you with a list of names and addresses of people who tend to vote progessively, but do not have a history of voting in mid-term elections. I spent about an hour a few weeks back writing out 20 postcards and sending them out to American voters in about 4 different states, encouraging them to vote and signing with “Rhonda, from Osceola, WI”. The theory is that people are more likely to take action on something if they receive a handwritten note from another person. I encourage you all to do this. It’ll be a small way for you to stand up for a better America.

Here’s the website: https://www.signsofjustice.com

And let me leave you with a song with an important message from badass American musical icon, Sheryl Crow:

Adventure, Hope, Intentionality, Positivity, Spring, Travel, Writing

Re-Re-Re: Number 5

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What comes to mind when you hear the word “renew”?

If I’m being honest, when the word “renew” is uttered I cringe a little. Because “renew” makes me think of things I have to do. Things like renewing my driver’s license, car insurance, tabs on our truck. And library books (check out this cool article I read a few weeks ago about an artist who uses old library check out cards for her pieces). The things we do, perhaps begrudgingly, as responsible adults.

Not very “pollyana-ish” of me, is it?

Time for me to shake off the cringiness and consider alternate applications of the word “renew”. I mean, it’s springtime after all, and isn’t this season all about renewal anyway?

The ground beneath our feet is in it’s renewal era at the moment. Here in Minnesconsin, the multiple inches of snow we got earlier this month has melted entirely. The ground is soaking up that moisture as we speak , beginning a state of renewal. Soon, our yard and gardens will come alive with new growth. I anticipate my interest in spending time outdoors and doing the work required to nourish this new growth will be renewed.

What does renewal look like to you? What does it feel like?

Maybe you’re feeling that you want to renew your sense of adventure. Try things altogether new. Visit places you’ve never been. I’m doing this by obtaining my very first passport, ASAP. It’s not going to happen for a while, but Mr. NOA and I will be traveling to Canada. My hope is to meet and learn more about my dad’s side of the family from Quebec. The DNA sample I sent in to an ancestry website earlier this year ought to be processed soon, and I’m looking forward to the adventure of discovering who is all in my family tree.

What steps might you take to renew your sense of adventure?

Perhaps you’d like to renew your sense of hope. Hope for your future and your people’s future. Hope for humanity. I would wager that we can, if we are intentional about it, find glimmers of that hope stuff. It’s so easy these days for our attention to stay with all of the awfulness happening in our world. While I think it’s important to keep oneself aware of what is transpiring within our governments, locating bits of hope here and there helps to balance things out a little and makes things feel less bleak.

A quick google search led me to this article about youth in California banning together to advocate for reducing the amount of pickleballs and tennis balls going into landfills. That is just one little bit of positivity happening here in the U.S. amidst the mayhem our government seems hellbent on creating. There are still people doing what they can to make things better in this country. We musn’t lose sight of that.

What renews your sense of hope?

I’ll leave you with a song I’ve always found to be breathtakingly beautiful. It wasn’t until I was 30-something that it occurred to me that this song originated as a hymn sung in church.

May you seek the renewal that your heart desires.

Blogging, Grandparenting, Holidays, Intentionality, Life, Lifestyle, Minnesconsin, Self-Reflection

Intentionality, Illness, the Holidays, and Me

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Hey there! I am officially done with my self-imposed blogging sabbatical. I’ve missed doing this. I’ve missed exchanging thoughts with you all, and I’ve missed reading your blogs. I hope you are all doing well and your Thanksgiving tables were filled with the company of those you love the most, good conversations, and delicious eats.

Now that I’m back to blogging, it feels like an update is in order.

Intentionality

In case you don’t recall, my WOTY (Word of the Year for any non-bloggers reading this) for 2025 was “Intentionality”. I doubt I’ll pick a new word for 2026, which is going to be here before we know it. That’s because it’s such a BIG word. I’m very committed to it still, but I see now that it mustn’t be a commitment limited to merely one calendar year. It’s for life. It requires dedication and lots of practice to even sort of feel like I’m getting it right. More than anything, it’s about being present and in tune with my five senses. It’s also very much about being choosier about where I’m expending my energy, especially the mental variety. That’s why I backed off from blogging for as long as I did. I needed to step away and do some personal excavating to re-engage my creative spirit.

Illness

As a person who has been known to exclaim such things as”I never get sick” and “I take my Emergen-C every morning so my immune system rocks”, coming down with this years version of the flu (yes, I had gotten both my flu and pneumonia shots in October) really threw me for a loop. Mr. NOA caught it first and then gifted it to me overnight. I missed three consecutive days of work as a result, which was truly adding insult to injury, as it just so happened to be my beloved boss’s last week of employment at our non-profit. So, big, huge, fat bummer. Together, Mr. NOA nursed ourselves slowly back to health while binge-watching The American Revolution series by Ken Burns on PBS, along with “The Beast in Me” (What. A. Tale.) on Netflix. I highly recommend them both.

Holidays

It’s December 1st, so Christmas plans are getting underway here in Minnesconsin. As always, I’m looking forward this season. As always, I’m aiming to keep things as simple as possible and to focus on the joy in the preparations. Wish me luck in avoiding the holiday “overwhelm”. Having a new baby in our midst surely adds a magical touch. Our newest grandson will be 6 months old at Christmas, and I’m certain that seeing his reaction to the lights, music, smells, and tastes (he will likely be starting to eat little bits of regular food by then) of the season will be the biggest highlight for me.

And now, for a song. I’m going to pick one that I’ve only recently come to realize that I absolutely adore. It’s uplifting and just so lovely. It really aligns with my spirit at this moment. Enjoy-and see you soon, friends!