Beautiful New Mexico

New Mexico offers bountiful beauty. My husband, Kenn, and I travel New Mexico often. We moved to Albuquerque ten years ago from Tennessee and explore this amazing state whenever possible. This past weekend we visited the Gila National Forest. The Gila covers 3.3 million acres of land which makes it the largest national forest in New Mexico and one of the largest in the United States.

Our first stop in the forest took us to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. The Mogollon people built over forty rooms in a set of five caves in the 1280’s, but it is believed they only lived in them until 1300. They left for unknown reasons. The trail is a one-mile loop—rather steep and rocky. We were told no food was allowed in the caves because food attracts rats. If rats dig holes beneath the rooms, the rooms will deteriorate.

Our final stop took us to Whitewater Canyon and the Catwalk Trail. We walked along a metal path attached to the cliffs of the canyon. The walkway suspended twenty feet above a crystal-clear stream. The rushing hum of whitewater below, flowing over the rocks, made for a peaceful morning. The multi colors within the canyon cliffs added to the natural beauty abounding in God’s creation.

While in the forest, we saw a javelina (often mistaken for a wild boar), a few deer, tiny lizards along with one medium-sized lizard, and a hawk.

For a few photos of our trip to the Gila please visit my Photos page.

Special Gifts

A year ago, I joined a ladies Bible study group at my church. We read the book, Lead Me, Holy Spirit, by Stormie Omartian.

She shared a story in her book that I’ve been reminded of often. On a snowy morning outside her window, there were thirty to forty redbirds perched in a tree. She compared the scene to a Christmas tree decorated with red ornaments. She tried to discover what God was revealing to her through the beauty of the moment but couldn’t quite grasp the meaning. When a pastor friend stopped by, she asked him what he thought God was showing her. The pastor said, “It was a gift to show His love for you.”

How often does the Lord give us gifts to show His love for us? Happens more than we realize. I’d like to share one He gave me.

A lover of worship music, I was looking for songs to download and came across a worship CD from my alma mater, Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. I purchased the entire album and listened often. There was one song that became my favorite—“Hope Is Rising.” For some reason, I wanted to know who sang this song. I checked the website for LeeU Worship but couldn’t find anything about the featured singers.

Eight months later my husband and I took a trip to Ohio where I grew up. We visited our home church while there and met the worship pastor. He was also the singer of “Hope Is Rising.”

There was no reason for me to know who sang this song, but God knew it was important to me. God gave me a name and allowed me to meet the singer.

God’s gifts are everywhere. How has He recently shown His love for you?



I Enjoy Both!

In the past couple of months, a question I’ve heard often is, “How does a mathematics major become a fiction writer?” Possibly a better question is, “How does a fiction writer become a mathematics major?”

Growing up, I took an interest in stories long before I found my niche in math. My sister and I would lie awake at night collaborating on adventures in large houses with secret passageways. We often ended up in an ice cream parlor and would stuff ourselves until we fell off to sleep.

In elementary school I wrote my first fictional book. “The Dog That Had Kittens.” At the time, I didn’t understand anything about genetics or the impossibility of my topic.

My interest in math didn’t emerge until my freshman year of high school. I loved Algebra and enjoyed the challenge. The teacher made the class fun and encouraged me to do my best. Then in college, I turned my love for math into a teaching degree and taught middle school and high school for ten years.

Also while in college, my love for writing progressed. I looked forward to my creative writing class and penned a few fun stories. I experienced a heightened awareness of literature and poetry. Being an odd sort of person anyway, I loved to answer essay questions. One of my English professors made a comment one day about me being an English major. I corrected her assumption and surprised her at the same time.

What can I say? I enjoy both!

Have a Good Laugh

In September, I came across an article on the health benefits of laughter. Advantages cited included lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormone levels, improves cardiac health, and my personal favorite—works your abs. Yes! Let’s get laughing!

I work with civil engineers. Not that engineers aren’t fun or funny, but they are a serious group for the most part. There are times this introverted gal feels stretched to the max trying to be the outgoing one of the group.

On a Monday morning, at a departmental staff meeting, the question was asked, “How was your weekend?” Everyone around the table gave a response. “Okay.” “Didn’t do much.” “Fine.” All very monotone and boring. I spoke last. I nearly jumped out of my chair, raised my arms into the air, and said, “Fantastic! I had a great weekend.” A couple of the engineers at the table nearly fell out of their chairs because of my exuberance. Rare for me to get that excited, but their dullness made me want to go back home and sleep. We needed a spark.

There’s one gentleman I work with who is not an engineer. He’s an extrovert. He keeps us on our toes and works our abs. A couple of months ago Stan (not his real name) posted on our Intranet Out of Office board that he and his supervisor were traveling on a karaoke tour. This board is available to the entire company—almost 200 employees. I couldn’t let this opportunity pass without finding out more. I sent Stan an email and asked if the two men were slacking off on company time. He soon responded with, “Hold on. The boss is on stage singing now. I’ll get back to you later.” Instead of doing my work, I was laughing. My response, “Take a video. I want to see this.”

He didn’t send me a video on that day, but a few days later, his boss forwarded a video to me that Stan sent him. Stan wearing a fish head costume talking about feeling a little fishy. The boss’s response to Stan’s humor, “He’s goofier than my teenage son.” He may be goofy, but his humor is beneficial to my health.

The benefits of laughter are nothing new. Proverbs 17:22 states, “A joyful heart is good medicine…” (ESV) and “Being cheerful keeps you healthy…” (GNB).

Take some time to laugh every day. You’ll feel better.