“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent (unstoppable).” ~ Calvin Coolidge
“How many months have you been in remission?” Bill, my new psychologist asked. “Three.” “And how does that make you feel?” “Good, I guess,” I pulled at the hem of my shirt. “But, I can’t shake the thought that…it’ll return. I just wanna know…am I cured or not?” My chin trembled and I grabbed a tissue […]
It’s funny. I felt like God put this post on my heart to share one day after my walk, but I never did. I was too afraid of posting anything remotely positive after arriving home and reading the headlines. But you see–there’s this catchy song that says, “Put your hands up if you feel like […]
{Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels} You’re home. Your kids are home. And now you have to motivate them to finish school, and stay sane during this unusual time. Ack. We know by now this sickness is serious, and that quarantine is the fastest way to help lessen the duration of this disease if we follow the […]
{I’ll explain the “gray-shirt guy” at the end.} I woke this morning with a crazy desire to reread a funny “I see you…” card a friend had slipped me last night at a Palm Beach Women’s Network event. As I pulled it out while sipping my coffee, I giggled and began thinking of the other […]
{Photo credit: Calvary Church Jupiter} 2019 was one of the hardest years of my life. This is me, just being honest. One day I will blog openly about this. Promise. It’s too crazy not to. Actually, I’ve even considered writing a novel based on some of the zany events that happened. Who knows. But what […]
{This is my second time posting this blog because the first post no one received an email. Ack. I think we’ve fixed this kink, but as you’ll be able to see if you visit dabneyland.com, I’ve updated the site. Can you do me a favor? Can you let me know if you’ve received this post […]
I know. Can you believe it? I have a new fancy-schmancy website thanks to the talented @megan__james! Amazing. And guess what? For continuing your loyalty to this blog, I have a free gift just for you. I know. Today is a good day. For the next week, if you comment below and let me know […]
Just walk. Or Slog (AKA: Slow jog). 1 mile. One foot in front of the other at whatever pace feels right. It will only take you 14 minutes. You’re worth that. Just do it. Today. Because if you can, consider this a gift. One day our bodies will wane. One day resting will seem more […]
{Previously published on Palm Beach Women’s Network website} There’s something you need to know about me. I’m that sick girl. You know, the one always battling an illness. And when I say sick girl, I mean the kind who fought cancer twice by the age of 26, the first time while pregnant. The laundry list […]
(I apologize ahead of time for the icky pictures of my radiation-wrinkled upper chest, but merely describing this thing wouldn’t make as much sense. And yes…I did circle my bump with a pen to see if it was growing in size each day.) Meet Pedro. Yes, we’ve named him. We kind of had to. The […]
Recently I heard Jimmy Evans, one of my favorite marriage guru guys, say, “If the devil can’t stop you, He will push you.” Ugh. I constantly feel the enemy’s pointy fingers pressing against my back on a daily basis. Jimmy continued his message with, “You can either pray or worry. If you don’t pray, you […]
Gone. That weird pressure in my side dwindled day by day until I woke this morning with no discomfort. Praise. God! And can I share one more amazing fact? After I posted my fears last week and asked for prayer, can I just tell you that I felt your prayers? Seriously. I wish I could […]
Sadly, the blog post I’d written about, “The Day I Went Crazy” will have to wait a week or two since life has become a funny roller coaster for the last eight days. Just when things seemed to calm down, a scary dip gripped my heart and I’m bracing for dear life. Or, I was. […]
So, last weekend Madison graduated. Now that doesn’t sound like a big deal. Kids graduate every year, and this is exactly what I was thinking until I saw my daughter walk across the stage, and then it hit me. She shouldn’t be here. I was told to abort her. (Imagine a crazy lady, weeping and […]
“For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” —2 Corinthians 4:11-12 (NIV) My 16-year-old walked to the front of her speech […]