It’s a great time to mend fences. Not the ones in the back 40 of the ranch where very few of us currently live; I’m talking about the fences that are in need of repair between us. The damaged or broken relationships we all experience. Admittedly, there are relationships that are beyond repair, but most of the time that’s not the case.

I need to tell myself to get “back in the swing of things” about every two and a half months. I begin by being on target for what I need to do, goals created, focus established, all tools gathered, and I head off. Then, for some reason, I find myself off the rails… looking around, trying to figure out what I need to do, and how I got off track. When I get to this point, I know it’s time to gather the same “Here’s what I need to do” tasks that—when I do them (truth is, I don’t always)—work every time.

There are times when things you read make you crazy. At least that is true of me. Today was one of those days. I have a morning routine: pour my first cup of coffee then break open my Bible. After downing that first cup, I get the second one and scan through a few websites with the news of the day. It is mandatory that the first cup of coffee is ingested as well as a bit of God’s Word before I can face current affairs, current thinking, and human struggles. That invaluable second cup gives me the energy to react.

It was Halloween day, and this was the first year my daughter realized it might just be a great event in which she wanted to participate. She was barely four years old and until that time my husband and I had avoided stepping into the chaos of this holiday. My husband’s attitudes were born out of his complete distaste for many of the things that came with this particular evening. I didn’t necessarily disagree with him, but I circumvented it simply because I had enough to do without adding it to the list!

I have watched as so many women compromise on what they will accept from a man, especially the man considered to be her “rest of my life” partner. This concession doesn’t happen quickly; it comes slowly. Often without even realizing that you are giving up what you thought you had found, accepting the opposite of what you were looking for.