Time for a Reset
It’s time for a reset. 2021 has been–well, a whirlwind. The long,
June 18, 2021
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Discover the journey, tips, and ideas from Claudia Yeoh’s writing desk.
It’s time for a reset. 2021 has been–well, a whirlwind. The long,
Yesterday morning, I was scurrying through the bathroom on the way to
We’ve been all drama, all the time lately (read: escalating for months)
oes God (or the great nation of America, if you’re not the believing type) want/need our “I’m grateful for” lists on this on one day, only to have us revert to business as usual the following day? Or would the world–and not coincidentally, we–be better off if we showed our gratitude in our actions on Thanksgiving Day and every other day, too?
“What come next?” There was a period of several months recently when
It’s the day before Thanksgiving, and the thing to do on such
1. Baking soda. I don’t know how entire industries have gotten entrenched
When my husband was growing up, he lived a thousand miles from
For most of my life, my birthday and I have had a
There’s a quote I think of often, from a movie that never
Today, I am thankful for sleeping till 7:15, and being awakened by the slanting
I feel a need to pause today and say thank you. On
…At 9:00, Christian and I make our way upstairs to do a
I had a dream last night. It began as a movie preview
The doorbell rang at 5:15 p.m. on Friday. “Hey, guys, Mr. Kyle’s
It’s time for another roundup of Catholic bloggers over at This That
Just before my alarm went off, 5:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning,
On Julianna’s birthday, Alex came home from school in great excitement. “My
It’s easier to be thankful in the crisis moments. Crises burn all
After spending an entire week focused on infertility, my brain has been having trouble
Normally I wouldn’t combine posts like this, but I’m planning several days
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately…and not,
It seems ironic to me that in this season of Advent—the Advent
I have a dirty little secret to share. Brace yourself. Are you
It was that sound that put me on alert: the pushed, monotone
It’s been a weekend (and a week) of little graces, none of
“It’s not fair!” It’s Alex’s new favorite phrase. It’s not fair that
Fall Elements Originally uploaded by One-Speed Photography I didn’t want to come
We began the process sometime in the spring, hopping from one furniture
Because of a faceless, anonymous jerk somewhere out in the e-universe, our
The problem with keeping a gratitude list is that I tend to
Michelle at Graceful is my guru this Lent. First, she gently prodded
It is 5:55 a.m. and a thin sliver of creamy moon reclines
For the last two weeks, I’ve kept waiting for things to turn
On occasion I have mentioned Gerti, Julianna’s physical therapist. What you may
Once, my mother told me that everything in her life had been
A filigree-and-marmalade sunrise A perfect evening for a mile and a half
Once in a while, it’s nice to go somewhere without internet access
Crises tend to bring out the best in us. We rise to
(incorporating the Advent Reclamation Project Report for Week 2) Julianna’s first, tottering
Alex’s Christmas letters to his grandparents (as dictated to Mommy): Dear
A week or so ago, when I did my tour of
Last night, I finished reading a book that has been occupying my
Time is limited. Demands on it are not. Distractions abound, weariness interferes,
Yesterday I reconnected with a friend I haven’t spoken to since 8th
It’s time for a reset. 2021 has been–well, a whirlwind. The long, choking oppression of the pandemic is lifting, and we’re busier than ever: soccer,
Yesterday morning, I was scurrying through the bathroom on the way to do something with some kid to get them ready for school when I
We’ve been all drama, all the time lately (read: escalating for months) in our house, and for a couple of weeks, I’ve been telling people
oes God (or the great nation of America, if you’re not the believing type) want/need our “I’m grateful for” lists on this on one day, only to have us revert to business as usual the following day? Or would the world–and not coincidentally, we–be better off if we showed our gratitude in our actions on Thanksgiving Day and every other day, too?
“What come next?” There was a period of several months recently when Julianna was constantly asking this question: when a song ended on a CD,
It’s the day before Thanksgiving, and the thing to do on such a day is to make a list of everything I’m thankful for, like
1. Baking soda. I don’t know how entire industries have gotten entrenched around cleaning products and deodorants, because as far as I’m concerned baking soda
When my husband was growing up, he lived a thousand miles from his cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents. A family of eight does not travel
For most of my life, my birthday and I have had a pretty dysfunctional relationship. It’s not about age–I’m seeing the first hints of the
There’s a quote I think of often, from a movie that never hit the big time, but which has really stuck with me over the
Today, I am thankful for sleeping till 7:15, and being awakened by the slanting rays of sunlight instead of a baby’s cries or an obnoxious alarm clock.
I feel a need to pause today and say thank you. On two separate subjects, actually. From the moment we first realized we might have
…At 9:00, Christian and I make our way upstairs to do a little spiritual reading before going to bed. He turns on the strobe on
I had a dream last night. It began as a movie preview for an apocalypse: the earth split and pulled back, and then, in equal
The doorbell rang at 5:15 p.m. on Friday. “Hey, guys, Mr. Kyle’s here!” I called, and went to open the door for my good friend
It’s time for another roundup of Catholic bloggers over at This That and the Other Thing. Hop on over and join us! My contributions for
Just before my alarm went off, 5:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning, I had the most amazing dream. We were attending Mass at the Newman
On Julianna’s birthday, Alex came home from school in great excitement. “My teacher said there was going to be an early spring!” he exclaimed. We
It’s easier to be thankful in the crisis moments. Crises burn all the pettiness out of life. During them, you really exist in the present.
After spending an entire week focused on infertility, my brain has been having trouble grinding into gear, casting about for topics for the coming week—and in particular,
Normally I wouldn’t combine posts like this, but I’m planning several days on the topic of infertility starting Monday, and I don’t want to neglect
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately…and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” -Henry David
It seems ironic to me that in this season of Advent—the Advent I’ve spent two years preparing for, the one in which I’m doing four
I have a dirty little secret to share. Brace yourself. Are you ready? I was not popular in high school. Yes, it’s shocking, I know.
It was that sound that put me on alert: the pushed, monotone vocalization of a person with limited verbal skills. I used to tense up
It’s been a weekend (and a week) of little graces, none of which lend themselves to lengthy prose, so I’ll just list them here today.
“It’s not fair!” It’s Alex’s new favorite phrase. It’s not fair that he can’t have a new toy every time we go to Target. It’s
Fall Elements Originally uploaded by One-Speed Photography I didn’t want to come out today. I knew I was not going to find a truly quiet
We began the process sometime in the spring, hopping from one furniture store to the next, discussing paint colors and styles, trying to convert the
Because of a faceless, anonymous jerk somewhere out in the e-universe, our computer caught a virus this week. Because of a computer virus, my husband
The problem with keeping a gratitude list is that I tend to notice the same things all the time. But gratitude is an attitude that
Michelle at Graceful is my guru this Lent. First, she gently prodded me to reconsider my use of the internet. Then, she echoed how I
It is 5:55 a.m. and a thin sliver of creamy moon reclines just over the bare trees. For the seventh night in a row, I’ve
For the last two weeks, I’ve kept waiting for things to turn around, scrabbling at the roots of positive attitude as I try to keep
On occasion I have mentioned Gerti, Julianna’s physical therapist. What you may not understand unless you have been involved in a relationship like this is
Once, my mother told me that everything in her life had been so easy: she moved from her father’s house into her husband’s house, and
A filigree-and-marmalade sunrise A perfect evening for a mile and a half walk with my baby…air shimmering gold in the sun, and brooding blue in
Once in a while, it’s nice to go somewhere without internet access for a few days, even though it feels disorienting to be offline. But
Crises tend to bring out the best in us. We rise to the occasion; we set our teeth, hunker down and lean into the wind,
(incorporating the Advent Reclamation Project Report for Week 2) Julianna’s first, tottering steps, on Friday, which charged the air in the house with excitement as
Alex’s Christmas letters to his grandparents (as dictated to Mommy): Dear Grandma and Grandpa Sander, I have been good at swim lessons. I have
A week or so ago, when I did my tour of blogs, I came across one to add to my blogroll. Ann Voskamp keeps
Last night, I finished reading a book that has been occupying my thoughts for a week. The book is called Escape, by Carolyn Jessop, and
Time is limited. Demands on it are not. Distractions abound, weariness interferes, sleepiness settles down over my brain in a heavy blanket that slows thought
Yesterday I reconnected with a friend I haven’t spoken to since 8th grade. She called out of the blue, having seen Julianna’s article in the
I’m preparing for a major revamp of my author site, and I’m not sure what’s going to happen to this blog as part of that.
It’s the 4th of July, and I am in the middle of the confluence of playing for our local professional orchestra’s summer festival, preparing for
One perk of being a published author is how many other authors I get to “meet.” We all hear about the big, flashy books by
Hi, all! Long time, no see. I’m stretched pretty thin these days with a college kid, two over-involved high schoolers, and a middle schooler, plus
Environmental stewardship and climate have long been high, high priorities for me. That is because of my Christian faith and because nature is where I
One perk of being a published author is how many other authors I get to “meet.” We all hear about the big, flashy books by
I was late to the Nicole Baart party. When I read my first of her books, I was gobsmacked. “How have I never come across
OK, I will admit it: I am fascinated with the British royal family. Not nearly as much as some–I never watched the weddings, for instance,
“Wicked” is a cultural phenomenon, and with a few exceptions (Marvel, Star Wars, Harry Potter), I am terrible at keeping up with cultural phenomena. I
Today (Feb. 27, 2023) only: A SONG FOR THE ROAD is on Kindle sale for $1.99! (Hint: Feel free to share this post. 😉 )
I have loved the Anne and Emily books since the first time I read them, but it took me until now to read this late
In the spirit of the holidays I wanted to share some really good things–books and not-books–that I have discovered in the past year or so.