Heart Hope by Olga

Olga pointing to where she signed the cast. What do a five year old little boy and an eighty-five year old lady have in common? The answer is probably not very much, especially if they don’t live near each other or see each other very often.  My mother, Gammy, who is almost 85 years old, lives hundreds of miles from her great-grandchildren so their in-person visits are few and far between, therefore she tries to stay in touch by writing cards, sending gifts and talking to them on the phone, but the conversations are limited because there is not much for them to talk about.  This changed recently when Will fell while playing with some older children and had to have a bright red waterproof cast put on his broken arm. (Casts sure have come a long way over the years!) Gammy was asking about his arm and then proceeded to tell him that she had broken hers too. Well, there was an immediate connection. Will wanted to know the what, where, when, and how’s of her event. They were a...

Having just moved to Boulder from Texas, I was not used to the drastic weather changes that could take place in just minutes in Colorado. I had been out running errands that day and had on a skirt, and short sleeve shirt with flip flops, but suddenly the winds brought in a cold front. Since I had only more stop to make that afternoon, I decided not to return home to change into warmer attire before stopping at First Presbyterian Church to drop off paperwork for an up coming event. Not being familiar with the building, I parked and ran into the closest door which was flung open by a greeter. The friendly man was shabbily dressed, missing teeth and scruffy from not shaving in recent days, but made me feel warm and welcome on that cold afternoon.  He quickly assessed that I was not dressed appropriately for the weather’s rapid transformation and made an assumption that made me laugh…but also think. The man presumed that I was there because I was homeless and needed to visit the clo...

This is my niece Allison Bullock who wins triathlons! I won an award today, but before you go getting all excited for me or want to see how you can win one too, you might want to read more. This honor might not be one you want to receive, because you see it is not an accolade that I really want either.  I went for my annual mammogram this morning and while there the doctor found some suspicious areas and wanted to have an ultrasound performed. While laying on the sterile bed, with my pretty pink robe opened and covered with goo used for the transducer, the hand-held device that sends out the waves which produce the picture, the technician declared that I had won the prize for the most cysts she had ever seen in a patient. How do you like that one! I guess the good part is that cysts are not usually dangerous, but still…. I have received other awards in my life that are much more prestigious than the one today, but there is a future award that I hope to obtain that will be m...

Cookie Pizza I think this simple yet delicious recipe was originally my cousin, Beth Arnold's recipe that I got via my sister years ago, but it is still a winner. Enjoy!  1 super moist yellow cake mix 6 oz chocolate chips ½ c canola oil 2 eggs 1 t vanilla Mix all of the above ingredients together. Spray 14” pizza pan with an edge with Pam. Pour mixture onto prepared pan. Spread mixture onto pan by keeping hands wet with water at all times to prevent from sticking while spreading. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or longer until it is browned. Decorate if desired for special occasion.This is very versatile in that you can make it into different shapes or even divide it into 2 or more pans depending on the size that you need. www.hearthope.org

Charlie and Sadie-Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Tommy and I are dog sitting for the next few days. Our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel grand-dogs, Sadie and Charlie are great dogs, but very different. Sadie, the tri-color is the older of the two dogs. Being the “first born baby” of Lynn and Matt, she was spoiled rotten. She is a beauty and draws attention wherever she goes because of her regal appearance. But…she can be snooty because she thinks that everyone should do exactly what she wants them to. She will not eat her food when first given it, but several minutes later will bark, demanding it to be given to her on her own terms.  Sadie is also the “Eddie Haskell” of the “kids.” If you are a part of my generation you know exactly what that means, but for those of you who are not familiar with that term, I will elaborate. Eddie Haskell was the best friend of Wally Cleaver in the Leave It to Beaver TV series of the 50s and 60s. Eddie always said and did the right thing in fr...

What do you think of when you see an orange traffic cone? If you are like me you will consider something like beware, slow down, be careful, because there is a roadside hazard that you need to be conscious of. They are displayed for our good and for our protection…right? Recently I found out that not everyone views them in the same way.  While on a leisurely bike ride a couple of weeks ago I was passed by a young man. You could tell that this person was not a “professional biker,” since he did not have on the Lance Armstrong gear of spandex, sport wrap sunglasses or a helmet. Instead, he looked more like he belonged on a skateboard, with long hair and baggy pants. While he was riding in front of me, I could monitor his biking behavior. He would ride for about ten yards and then jerk the back tire off of the pavement and aim for the orange cones along the side of the road with the intention of knocking them over. The rider met with success about 75% of the time as he apparently ...

Do you expect the unexpected from God? That is what Priscilla Shirer has been teaching us in our One in a Million study this fall. Last week I had an opportunity to experience it first hand. I had a long travel day ahead, so I settled in and began reviewing my lesson for the week. It first said “Start expecting more out of God than ever before.” Then it taught us to “Expect that God is positioning you to see Him work in your life in a unique and unusual way.” And to finish it out, we were told, “In the midst of our pain, God makes a way for us to see and experience His greatness.”   Therefore when my flight was delayed due to maintenance, I told the Lord that I couldn’t wait to see what great things He was going to do.  My journey had actually begun six days earlier. I had left our Bible study that morning reflecting on the day’s lesson as I drove to Denver to catch my flight. Priscilla had asked us to look around and see where God was manifesting Himself in our daily live...