Things are Looking Up

In my life, bouts of mild depression have always come and go; this is normal for me. I'm so much better than I was when I was first diagnosed with severe depression around 25-30 years ago, but life is still sometimes a tightrope. I find it helps, of course, to pray and read my Bible daily, watch my diet, and make sure I get my exercise, which is mostly walking. Lately, even with all that I've been a little down and looking for something to bring brighten my mood.

I tell you this not to gain sympathy or pity, but to encourage. Sometimes when depression tries to creep back in, I start to feel like I don't measure up; like I'm not as good as others. I want to close myself in away from people and not even go outside. I know, however, that this is the opposite of true, and of what I need to do. 

I know from years of walking on this side of the darkness I was once in that I am not the only one. If others can be encouraged by reading about my struggles and victories, I have to share.

So, in looking for something to perk up my mood, I decided to re-watch (for the 4th time I think) the original Downton Abbey series that was on Masterpiece Classics and aired on PBS for six consecutive years starting around 2012. I have all six seasons on DVD, plus the 3 full length movies, but they are also on Prime.

Success! Clouds of despair have been once again dispelled. Watching this has helped me out of the slump I was in. I had my 1 or 2 (or occasionally, 3) episodes to look forward to every evening. I find that a little treat like this keeps me going. I can do my chores around the house as usual and have the energy to get through the day, knowing I have my "show" to look forward to. 

I finished the series Saturday night and last night I watched the first full-length movie. I am feeling so much better! I have 2 more movies to go and I'm already thinking about what will be next.

In other news, because I still have a determination to have a daily walk since March 2025, I'm still walking! I managed to do this even when I was feeling down, because deep down I know I have to in order to prolong my mobility. In spite of not feeling like it, I've managed to walk 6 days out of 7 for the past month, so I'm still getting walks in for my health. I'm so thankful I'm able to do this, but it's not like I'm bounding with energy. At my best I'm not a high-energy person. I struggle some days to get out there and put one foot in front of the other over and over again until I've walked for at least 30 minutes. Other days, I walk 2 miles. Most of the time, it's 1.5 miles; that's my average.

I'm on a quest to read all the Mitford books (by Jan Karon) and I do off and on, but the next one I needed was not in at the library. Instead, I read a book I bought at the library book sale, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Delightful book, set in England.

Now I'm reading The Thursday Murder Club.

I also went on a short little shopping excursion with my daughter and grandkids last weekend. We checked out our town's brand-new Aldi and walked through a local flea market looking for treasures, which is a favorite activity. 

So, things are looking up.

I haven't taken as many pictures while walking lately, but I'm posting a couple. I hope you are all doing well. I'm actually fine; pressing on in spite of occasional blues.

Until next time, blessings, friends!

"I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 NLT

Catching Up With Friends and Other News

The Christmas season is zipping along a little too fast for me. I want it to stay Christmas for a long time, but it always is gone so fast. Some great things have been happening, though. I'll list a few of them.

On December 5 I got to go with my daughter and my grandson's 4th grade class to see "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" in Branson. I've read all the Narnia books and seen the movies many times, but I had never seen a live stage play of it. It was a wonderful performance! I love going to theatre productions.

By going to the play, we missed the Christmas parade here in town, which made me sad. I did get to see a parade though; I went to my hometown over this last weekend and saw a great parade there, led by my favorite high school band (the one all my kids were in when they were in high school). I also saw my cousin, and several friends I hadn't seen in quite a while. It was so good to see everyone! I miss my friends and family in my hometown. I wish it wasn't so far away. 

I am watching a Christmas movie every day that I can. Last week I watched "Prancer," a movie from the 80s that always warms my heart. I've also seen "The Family Stone" this month and I watched "Elf" Friday night. I also plan to watch "White Christmas," "The Holiday," and "Christmas Vacation" in the next few days. Love these movies.

My house is finally all decorated, and I'm pretty much finished shopping; I just have to wrap everything now. (Amazon is the way to shop!)

I missed walking Thursday, because I was so busy getting ready to go out of town. Then I was driving for half a day Friday, so I didn't walk. Saturday I walked around the lake in the city park in my hometown. Then Sunday I was driving a half day again. I finally got back home and to my favorite place to walk, but I had to wait until late afternoon when it warmed up to 44. It was 19 degrees when I got up this morning. That's too cold for me!

I took a picture of the sunrise Thursday morning because it's about as far southeast as it will get, which, as y'all know, I find fascinating (and yes! I do get up in time to see a sunrise sometimes!).

I also got a picture of the sunlight hitting the creek where I was walking this afternoon. 

Apparently, I like to take pictures. LOL.

I hope you are all having a blessed Christmas season. In all the hustle and bustle of this time of year, remember that Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas. 

"Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel, which translated means, 'God with us.'" Matthew 1:23 NASB

A November Sunset

One morning last week I got a cool picture of the sky, which was covered in little puffs of clouds that looked like cotton balls to me. The sun was attempting to peek through, and it just captured my attention. I guess I'm easily amused, but the weather and the beautiful earth in general just fascinate me.

Two days later, we had our first hard frost, and I said "so long" to my little flower garden. I expected the summer flowers to succumb, so I didn't even cover them. The mums, however, I thought would survive. I covered them, but while the plants are still alive, the blooms did not survive. I guess I should have taken them inside.

I guess the season for flowers is over for the year, even though it got to 70 again a few days later. This got me to thinking about seasons a lot lately, and how they come and go in our lives in various ways. It made me a little sad.

So to cheer myself up, I've been looking for beauty in the season that we are in presently. Flowers may be a thing of the past for now, but we still have the trees in their fall colors, the night sky, in which the northern lights were visible recently and of course, we have sunsets.

I rarely get pictures of sunrises because 1- I'm a night owl, and 2-there's a large stand of trees behind my house to the east. This prevents me from getting early morning pictures for the most part, on those rare occasions I'm up that early. Sunsets, though, are right up my alley. Sunsets, and northern lights! I suddenly remembered about the northern lights the other night and got some pretty good pictures, considering all the streetlights around here. 

The sky looked reddish-purple to me. I've seen pictures where the sky was hot pink. I was just glad to see what I did. I tried again the next night and it was just ordinary night sky.

Tonight there was a beautiful sunset as I was finishing my walk. The sun was lighting up everything it touched. 

It kind of reminded me how the SON, Jesus, lights up everyone and everything HE touches. We live in a dark world, which seems to be getting darker. But the Light of the World is still touching and changing lives every day.

Now that's something that will cheer a person up! 

Blessings, my friends! 

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12 ESV

One Step at a Time

This post is just a look at what I saw and experienced on the trails on several days in late May; mostly so I can see this in a year or two or five and see how I was doing in May of 2025.

The last few weeks have been full of ups and downs, both in the weather and in my emotional state. The exercise and sunshine have done me good and yet I still have bouts of feeling almost depressed. I have managed to push through, but it has been tough at times. I think the key for me has been to keep going whether I feel like it or not. I'm not saying this is the answer, I'm just saying what has been my experience. I truly believe that God put the desire in me to do a daily walk for my health, and HE has given me the physical strength to do it. It's the only explanation, because I'm by nature a couch potato.

Before you start to tell me that in a state of depression a person sometimes is literally too tired to do anything, I know. I have been that person. That has been addressed in some of my earlier blogposts when I was just coming out of depression. It's a real thing, and I'm posting because God has brought me out of that state. I took antidepressants for many years and also had counseling. If you are suffering with depression, I get it. It is a real battle. Hang in there and keep on going. Pray, and God will help you.  

I've mostly been walking the path which goes under the bypass and eventually over to a small lake. I had not been going that far, though, until very recently. A couple of weeks ago I finally made it all the way to the lake, and it was 2.33 miles round trip (I turn around at some point when I walk this path; most times I don't go nearly this far before I turn around).

Love Birds

Small lake

The next day I thought I might be ready to do the "through the woods" trail (not really woods, but a substantial stand of mature trees), which is longer, so I set off for it by going up through the part of the campus where all the buildings are first and entering the woods through the entrance off Hwy. 62. I've included some pictures mixed in with the text. 

Entering the "woods"

Very hilly woods trail

This trail is a LOT of hills, up and down, both ways. According to the report from my watch, I climbed up and down 70 feet in elevation on this day. I wasn't really ready for this walk; it was an exhausting 1.76 miles.

I took pictures most days to keep track of how high the creek still was, because I'm a nerd and that fascinates me. On the May 21st walk, the creek was very robust, but the video won't post to the blog. Here is a photo of how it looked on May 25; still high.

Dodd Creek

I'm comfortably (somewhat) walking 1.5 miles a day as of the last couple of weeks. Occasionally I'll walk 1.6 or 1.7, but I'm not ready to commit to doing more than 1.5 for the next little while. I do intend to try the more elevated path again when I'm more conditioned to my current walking distance. In my defense, 1.5 miles a day is about 3 or 4 times what I used to walk in a day.

The problem now is, it is summer, darn it, which is not my favorite at all! I'm bathed in sweat no matter if I walk early morning or wait until almost sunset. I hate sweating, which is why I hate summer and am counting the days until fall. Only 2 weeks until the longest day, then we start getting shorter (and eventually cooler) days again, finally!

I have tried morning and evening, and I will try to walk in the morning whenever possible. It is much hotter and more humid in the evenings, and the mosquitoes have me on their menu as their favorite appetizer as sunset approaches.

So, that is how it is going. I'm trying to learn contentment, so I can enjoy all the seasons whether they are my favorite or not. I'm aiming for what Paul said: "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." Philippians 4:11 NASB. 

Notice I said "trying." I have not achieved it, but I want to be content. It's a lifelong process. Maybe this is not an entirely encouraging post; maybe it's more of a progress report. I'm improving, slowly. One step at a time.

Blessings, my friends.

The Art Trail

It was 69 degrees when I hit the trail this morning at about 7:30. The sun was shining, even though clouds were trying to cover it up, and it looked like it was going to be a nice day. 

I missed walking yesterday, due first to rain and then thunderstorms. I'm not afraid of rain, but I'm not going to chance being struck by lightning. So, I was determined to get out there today. I decided today I would take pictures of the artwork along the trail. I've posted some of them, but today I hoped to get them all, and I did, except for one that was too far off the trail to get a good picture. They are at the end of the blog and posted with the text on Facebook. 

It took a little longer to get to the end of the trail because I was stopping here and there to take a quick photo along the way, but today I got there! From where I generally start, by the north end of the parking lots off South College, I discovered that it is 1.1 miles to the little park and small lake, and apparently, the end of the trail. Then, I turn around and go back the way I came. There is another path that splits off the main one and seems to go to the other side of the lake. I will try that path next time.

There are other trails to take, too. I can walk up around the college buildings and through a wooded area as an alternative walking path. Getting to the end of the art trail was a goal for me, though.

Today, a new record for me: 2.2 miles! I was not even out of breath. 

As I have said before, I'm writing this to encourage others and to give the glory to God!  I'm NOT trying to brag on myself. If He had not enabled me, I would not have been able to start this walking journey. In fact, He even put the determination in me to do this! Back in March, when I was so defeated because I couldn't walk more than maybe a quarter mile without sitting down due to back spasms, something shifted in my thought processes. I suddenly knew that I had to change my habits of vegging out in my recliner if I had any hopes of retaining my mobility and independence as I age.

The clouds finally won and now we are expecting strong thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. I really do hate Spring because of the possibility of tornados. I'm praying we all stay safe today.

As promised, the pictures are posted here. I tried to caption them all, on Facebook, at least. It's harder and more time-consuming on Blogspot.

Be blessed, my friends!

"Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul." Psalm 54:4 NASB*

*Maybe the psalmist didn't have getting help from God to take care of his health better, but I think the Lord cares about my health, and He does help me.

Early Walking is Nice

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would address walking, or any kind of outdoor activity at all, but here we are.

All my life I have been a night owl. Even through the years and circumstances that caused me to have to get up early, I did it by necessity, not because I enjoyed it. I would say that is still true today, with one observation: early morning can have its benefits.

Last week I got up early a few days to get my grandkids to school and decided I would walk right after I dropped them off, since I was up anyway. I discovered (or perhaps, just remembered...I have actually been up before 7:00 am in my 70 years), that it is quite lovely outside on a spring morning. 

It is May, and the "beast of scorching heat" that comes upon this area in the summer is still slumbering, but right now the mornings are actually nice. I found that walking about 8:00 am was perfect weather, since I prefer it to be on the cooler side. I thoroughly enjoyed my morning walks last week. My thoughts were, "well, I'll walk in the mornings this week because I'm already up, but next week I'm sleeping in!"

This morning I woke up at 6:20. Yes, in the A.M.

Normally I'd be thinking "seriously? I can sleep as late as I want, and I wake up early?" Instead, my first thought was "I should check the weather and go ahead and walk if it's not raining."

What?!?

So I did just that. I saw on the weather app that we could have showers off and on all day, with a greater chance in the afternoon. My old self would have rejoiced that I might get out of walking, but this "loves to walk" version is planning ways to get my walk in around the weather.

I am not writing this to brag. I'm not "patting myself on the back" for finally doing what I should have been doing all along. I'm writing it to encourage someone out there that whatever it is that you know deep down that you want and need to do, you can do it. 

Look, if I, a lifelong couch potato and overall sedentary lifestyle advocate can start going on a daily walk at the age of 70, anything is possible. I wouldn't have believed it 3 months ago. But now, I know I can not only do what I need to do for my health, I actually enjoy it and look forward to it.

This isn't just about walking. This is a "fill in the blank" encouragement. Only YOU know what it is that you wish you could do, but you think you can't. You CAN. 

It was 7:34 am when I hit the trail this morning, and the threat of rain was looming all around, as the photos I attached will show. I walked 1.5 miles and wasn't even really tired, but I did want some coffee. 

Oh, and I'm still a night owl at heart. I'm not saying I will always walk before 8 am.  But I can and will get up early when the need arises.

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 NASB

Looking Up When Down

I try to be positive online, but it's not been easy lately. Life can sometimes get you down in spite of your best intentions to rise above it. I was really down this afternoon when I went for my daily walk on the ASU campus trails. I love walking there. I was hoping that some exercise and sunshine would lift my mood.

Sometimes to be an encourager, I have found I have to share little, seemingly trivial things along the way. I have to look for the good, the glimpses of God at work to boost my dark mood. In sharing how I have found light in the low places, it is my hope that someone will read this and be uplifted.

I can't elaborate, but currently there are things out of my control that have me upset. On my walk, I listened to an encouraging podcast by a Christian author, and I kept walking after it was over, praying about the issue that has me down.

It's not solved yet, but I have no doubt that God will work it all out. He always has my back. He doesn't always act as quickly as I would like, and sometimes the answer is different than expected, but He will take care of me; I am sure of it.

Meanwhile, I did find some things on my walk to be happy about. 

First, the scenery was beautiful. Not only the trees and landscaping, but there are art sculptures along the trail.  The sun was peeking through the clouds, and for some reason I found this encouraging. I've added some photos of these.

Secondly, I also enjoyed that the creek was merrily running along, vibrant and full from the recent rains we have had. Something about the sight and sound of a babbling brook is so therapeutic to me.

Finally, on my way back to the car, after I had turned around (because I still haven't gone to the end of the art trail. I'm thinking it's maybe at least 2 miles one way?) I was passing a couple with the most adorable puppy. He looked kind of like a cocker spaniel. He was so cute! I actually asked to pet him, which they agreed to, and he was very happy about that. This little dog, probably under a year old, was so sweet and friendly. It made me smile in spite of my troubles.

Bonus: I walked 1.71 miles, and I realized as I neared the car that my back didn't hurt! Usually when I have attempted to walk more than 1.25 miles, I start having spasms in my mid-back and have to sit down. This didn't happen on this walk!

God has my situation. I know He will take care of me. And He gave me some things to smile about as I walked along talking to Him about it all.

"Blessed be the Lord, Because He has heard the sound of my pleading. The Lord is my strength and my shield; 
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; 
Therefore, my heart triumphs, And with my song I shall thank Him."

Psalm 28:6-7

Busy But Great Christmas

It was a busy Christmas season this year; it seemed shorter. Some have attributed it to Thanksgiving being so late in November. Whatever the cause, the weeks flew by.

It was a good Christmas. I didn’t see my son Jeff but we had a nice phone conversation today. I also didn’t see Jeremy, at least not technically at Christmas, but he did come in for a whole week at Thanksgiving, plus we also had a nice talk on the phone tonight.

Jennifer, Matt, Zoe, and Rhett came and spent time with me on Christmas Eve (pictures are on my page). We opened presents, snacked on chips, dip, and fudge, and played Uno for quite a while.

I went to their house today for a delicious dinner and more quality family time.

It has been wonderful. I’m so thankful I live in the same town with my daughter and her family. I also love that I can talk on the phone or FaceTime with my sons often.

I am also blessed with friends “back home” that I stay in touch with. I have hesitated to post about my trip to VB because I didn’t get to see everyone I wanted to. I just couldn’t make it happen during Christmas. I hope to see the ones I didn’t see this trip in a few months.

There are a few pictures of my VB trip below. They include my friends Debbie and Patty, plus a clip of the awesome VBHS band at the parade. There are pictures of the lights at ASUMH, too. I drive through twice this year because they are so beautiful.

I’m also blessed with friends here in Mountain Home; people I have met and grown to love over the last 3 years.

Most of all I am celebrating the reason for the season: JESUS. God has been good to me in this “most wonderful time of the year.”

“…today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

Merry Christmas to my family and friends!

From the Porch: Why is the Tree There?

Rain kept me inside all last week, but I've been able to get to the porch

for my morning coffee and prayer time for most of this week. Sitting out there, I noticed something.

All the other condos in my neighborhood have very similar landscaping. We all have hedges by the front entrance and some other shrubs that are almost cookie-cutter identical. 

My front area, however, has a cedar tree by the driveway instead of a round shrub. As I sat there a few mornings ago, I was pondering why this is. 

I'm not a fan of bright sunlit rooms in my house. I know that's not typical. I like more of a warm, softly lit vibe. Bright sun hurts my eyes; I'm just very sensitive to bright sunlight. I almost always wear sunglasses on the rare occasion that I am outside on a bright day.

This cedar tree shades my living room perfectly. From afternoon through early evening in the warmer months, the sun hits my house increasingly toward the southwest as the summer wears on. Together with the window treatments and mini-blinds, my living room has a bearable level of afternoon sunlight, filtered so well by the tree.

Some would say I was lucky to get the house with the tree when I was looking for a place to rent. I feel like it's more than that, though. I think God had this place in mind for me long ago, when the tree was just a sapling. 

Laugh if you think it silly. I don't mind. I'm sure lots of people laugh when they read my blog. I'm not sharing content that I think will draw people in. I'm just sharing my heart. I know my God orders my steps. Why wouldn't He give me a tree to shade me from the harsh late afternoon sun? 

One more thing. It's a cedar tree; an evergreen. It's green year round, just like God's love is everlasting. 

I'm counting it as one of my blessings. I thank God for the tree that gives me shade.

Be blessed, my friends!

 "I will exalt You, my God, the King,
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable." Psalm 145:1-3 NASB

From the Porch: Reflections on Bearing Fruit

Those of you who have read my blog for a while may have noticed I hardly ever post "from the patio" anymore. It has become more difficult to beat the sun out there in my east-facing back yard, since in my retirement I hardly get up before 8:00 unless I have an appointment. That's the main reason, and we'll leave it at that. 

So I now have a comfortable, shady little nook by my west-facing front door that is so good, thanks to some chairs I acquired a few weeks ago. It's not really a porch, but we're going to call it that.

Ah, it's good to be back. I didn't realize how much I had missed being outside with the breeze, the birds singing, and the beauty of God's creation.

Recently, as I sat on the front porch in my new plastic chair, I noticed that the petunia in my tiny little garden area is struggling, yet it has managed to bloom anyway. Even though the heavy rains in early August nearly drowned it and the extreme heat that followed the rains threatened to burn it up, still it managed to bloom. 

This caused me to reflect for a moment. When it would appear outwardly that it had become useless and needed to be discarded, it still did what God created it to do: bloom. In doing so, it was providing nectar for bees and beauty for all to see and enjoy.

I meditated on this thought for a while, as I sat outside enjoying nature during my morning prayer and devotions for the first time in many weeks. 

I believe we humans are not entirely dissimilar to my poor little plant. We have storms in life that threaten to destroy us. Sometimes we undergo sickness and pain and we feel we will surely not survive the heat of the trials we are suffering through. Yet we "soldier on" as the British say. 

As long as we have food, water, and health, we remain alive, though age and years of abuse from various types of adversity render us into an older and less than stable-looking version of ourselves. We look in the mirror and scarcely recognize the older, more "mature" face that stares back at us.

Yet if we submit to the hand of the Master Gardener, our Lord Jesus, we can still produce fruit in our lives. Even if we don't think we appear as appealing on the outside as we once did, (this is very subjective, and we are usually more critical of ourselves than others are), we still can do what God has enables us to do, fulfilling our destiny as Christians.

This is the desire of my heart; to be fruitful and useful for all the days God gives me.

Just a few thoughts from the perspective of a retired, "mature" (in age, anyway) woman.

Be blessed, my friends.

"I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:5 NASB