community dinner before Thanksgiving

There are a couple of beautiful young ladies that I get the pleasure of hanging with from time-to-time. These are Phim's girls. Just before Thanksgiving the church I attend hosted a community dinner for those in need. I invited the girls to join me and they eagerly participated.

Here they are in the food serving line.

In addition to food, there were fun things (intended for kids) - face painting, balloon shapes, etc. This is one of the guys who lives in the woods. I've visited his camping spot. Here he is smiling, posing with his balloon. This was my favorite memory from that night. I am glad he willingly let me photograph him. Just a little bit of joy before he returns to the cold outdoors.

just Sheri, blessed by the smiles of others

Thanksgiving 2011

For the Thanksgiving holiday this year I did not have to cook a turkey - for that I am thankful! Kenyon was on-duty at the hospital and he and the other nurses were having a feast. He requested enchiladas, that was an easy request to fill. When the enchiladas were done, I got in the car and drove to Chesapeake Bay to meet up with the Williams family. They had won time at a waterfront property in a silent auction, I benefited from their charity.

I had never been to Chesapeake Bay before, though the name was familiar. What was amazing to me is how close it is to where we live, but how it felt like it was worlds away. A true retreat.

Angela and her sister-in-law Karen had prepared a feast...and beautified the table with clippings from outside.

I got to hang with young people that I don't get to see as much as I'd like.

I am thankful for a Thanksgiving with a family I love and for the experiences they have, and continue to, share with me.

just Sheri, blessed by friendship

Marital Communications 401

The Hubs came home a couple of nights ago carrying a shopping bag. I innocently asked, "what's in the bag?"

He pulls out a little pig, vacuum sealed in plastic. It is very obviously a pig. The snout and hoofs and little tail are all quite visible.

My response, "Ewwww! I can't believe you just put that on our bed."

He says, "I can't believe they sell pigs at the bookstore."

We both got a good laugh. Hopefully, you did too.

Thankfully, we only had to host the pig one night as the next morning he took it to his biology class to dissect. I am grateful I neither had to participate in, nor witness such an event. I'm also grateful that it happened "off-site," meaning not in our apartment.

just Sheri, NOT a biologist

Ready to write again

The "noise" that was in my head is finally clearing. For a few weeks now it felt like there was constant static - not a cogent thought, just unfocused and distracting "noise." My ability to focus is returning.

I have also been sick for the past two weeks. First, with flu-like symptoms. Then, something akin to a head cold. The flu is gone. The head cold has seriously improved.

I am ready to return to this blog and continue sharing the journey of life, again, with all of you.

I am surprised that even in my absence the stats on this blog stayed strong. With few original posts, there were still over a thousand visits. Again, I don't write to have the most popular blog, or even to be known as a blogger. I write with the hope that it blesses someone - gives them a laugh, or causes them to pause and reflect, or stirs some sense of adventure in their soul and causes the reader to think "maybe I am made for more than this."

So...I'm back. Ready to write again. Though the frequency is still to be determined.

just Sheri, returning to normal

in absentia

Maybe you've been wondering where I have been recently. Not many original blog posts in recent months, then suddenly none at all.

What happened? A LOT.

The best way to describe the events of recent months is mourning...I have been in mourning. In ancient times I would have been dressed in sackcloth and covered in ashes. In our modern times, I woke-up each morning. Dressed for work. Went through the motions of my day and went home. Few knowing what was happening beneath the exterior.

What have I been mourning?


I have been mourning the loss of my life's dream(s). Yes, I have mentioned the grieving and uncertainty on this blog before. But, I had been unwilling to let it go. I kept hoping that someday, somehow it would revive...then I could return as if I had never left. Then I got an answer from God that I wasn't ready to hear. Let it DIE.


I didn't want to. I hung on. It seemed like everything I read for weeks - fiction, non-fiction, scripture, non-scripture - over and over I received the same message. Let it DIE.


I could have easily accepted an extended delay. Or, perhaps, even a re-packaging. But, death? Death is so final.

The message is clear. I am to let my dream DIE.


Why? I still don't know the answer to that single question, but I have received my marching orders and am holding on to the hope in John 12:24.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, 

unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; 
but if it dies, it bears much fruit."

Someday, I hope to see the fruit of this difficult choice.

In the midst of an emotional journey, while Encore posts were running on this blog and our one year in the US anniversary came and went. Holiday's were celebrated globally, etc, etc, etc...another major event happened.. Someone died.


Just before Thanksgiving I took a road trip to South Carolina. This was not a vacation. I had been commissioned by a force beyond myself to visit my biological father. I invited myself to his home for a weekend. Thankfully he accepted my imposition. My brother and his wife were also there.

I had not spent that much time with my biological father in approximately two decades. It was a pleasant weekend and I am grateful for that time together. Before taking the trip I had lots of reasons (excuses) why this was a bad idea. I went anyway.

Two days after Christmas I got a phone call from my brother. Our dad shot himself. He committed suicide. His father had committed suicide. His grandfather had committed suicide. Despite the tragedy of this situation I am awed by the grace of God.

God's grace...

• led me to spend a weekend with my birth father, though it didn't make sense
• allowed me to forgive pains from the past so that the time spent together was pleasant
• brought family members from all over the nation to celebrate his life
• placed me back in America so I could be part of that reunion (participation would not have been possible if I was still overseas)

I have no answers. I only see a small portion of a much bigger reality. I am still processing it all. My writing on this blog will likely come in starts and stops over the coming weeks - sometimes on, sometimes not. I will share what I think is appropriate...when it is appropriate. I have received cards from all over the US since this event. I thank all of you for your support.

just Sheri, because of God's grace