Susan Miller’s Blog

Once again, another new year is already slipping by. For me, it’s never too late to re-exam my heart, my life, and ― my calendar. I recently took some much-needed time to focus on the choices and decisions that I want to change or do differently in my life. These ...

The recess bell of summer has rung! School is in session once again. Whether you are a mom with children back in school, teens starting high school, college students settling in on campus, or even if you are taking some classes on your own—it’s back to schedules, back to routine, ...

A friend was standing in my kitchen the other day, chatting away, when her eyes locked in on a picture hanging on the wall behind me. She walked past me and looked closely at the picture. “This is so lovely! I thought it was a painting at first glance.” She ...

Summer time is certainly a slower pace for those of us who live with tight schedules that seem to fill our days the rest of the year. For me, it’s a welcomed slower pace. A time to catch up with things I’ve put off doing and linger awhile doing things I ...

Arranging flowers in little vases makes my heart happy. I always buy flowers that are the least expensive at the grocery store as a little treat and day-brightener for myself each week. When flowers are too expensive, I'll improvise by cutting greenery and anything that's blooming in my yard to ...

In the rush of moving on to the next thing on my schedule, or being preoccupied with my thoughts, I can’t believe how easy it is for me to actually forget to take a second and say thank you. Two little words – often forgotten or overlooked – to acknowledge ...

I was on a Saturday morning mission to check off my list of errands and be back home by noon. My first stop was a well-known shop with experts in repairing all kinds of clocks and watches. Walking through a maze of lovely grandfather clocks, wall clocks, and music boxes, ...

I’m getting a little bit crazy with the holidays coming. Calendar getting full… schedule time with friends… thinking about turkeys—the ones on sale… stuffed or unstuffed this year?.. remember to find recipes… make list of ingredients… pull fall decoration boxes from garage… Christmas boxes are next to them… take a ...

Ever had one of those days, or even one of those weeks, when you just couldn't seem to pull yourself, or your life, together? True confession. I have, and it's not a pretty picture of me. Those are the days when I'm overwhelmed, overloaded, over scheduled, and simply pooped at ...

I did some hiking recently in uncharted territory in northern Arizona.  For those who know me, it goes without saying that any hiking territory is unfamiliar to me. I don’t hike, but I have friends who do, and I aspire to be able to climb mountain trails and leap tall ...

We are living in a culture where people are yearning for connection and community. “For Sale” and “Sold” signs are like confetti that sprinkle our neighborhoods. Moving vans and moving boxes have become all too familiar on the street where we live. Although moving can be for all the right ...

Choose to initiate in your relationships Sometimes over-thinking something can plunge me into a mental pity party and, on a hard day, I can spiral down quickly. It was one of those pity-party days when I realized how quickly my grandchildren were growing up and how much I missed their ...

I continue to marvel at the life lessons I learn from my adult children as they teach their children through example. Recently my daughter and I were reminiscing about my grandchildren’s early childhood, and she shared with me about her experience at the zoo with my youngest grandson who, at ...

A young mom in my life who has five children, including a toddler and a baby, sent me a text recently. It’s worth sharing since we can all resonate with the feelings behind her words and have probably felt like doing the same thing at one time or another. She ...

Some of you might know that one of the ways I get to volunteer at my church is by greeting people each Sunday. I stand near the curb, along with Al, Patti, and Bob, and we get to welcome everyone who is walking from the parking lot to the church campus. We get ...

Where Do You Begin? A friend asked if she could meet with me for coffee last week. There was a sense of urgency in her voice and her eyes were brimming with tears. Her news was all too familiar. “We are moving,” she said. “With the pandemic layoffs here, my ...

As some of you may know, I was married for 45 years before Bill’s death. We weathered 14 moves, along with major life transitions, and huge personal changes that come with uprooting and relocating a marriage, children, home, lifestyle, and relationships. In 2008, I asked Bill to share a man’s ...

2021: The Curtain Rises on the Rest of the Story In the classic epic drama of the movie, Gone with the Wind, the plot thickens as the Civil War brings destruction to Atlanta and wreaks havoc in the life of Scarlett O’Hara. (I saw the movie in the historic Fox Theatre, a ...

With the end of 2020 coming soon, I’ve often said to myself, “Finish well, Susan, finish well…”, but I have to admit there are many times I haven’t even finished a day well, much less the whole year. I’ve struggled like you probably have. Let’s be honest, COVID has certainly ...

I was standing in the check-out line at the grocery store with a full cart. On that particular day, I was actually not in a hurry for a change. Usually I’m in a rush to be somewhere, have just run in to get something I need, or have squeezed in a pocket ...

I am in this crazy funky mood of cleaning out anything that isn’t nailed or glued down in my house or garage. There are so many things in life that are beyond my control, but one thing I can control is my clutter! With a l-o-n-g, record-breaking summer of heat ...

LONELINESS is packed with feelings and emotions. It can consume you at any time – day or night – and create havoc with your emotions. Feeling lonely can cause you to lose perspective and, sometimes, to lose all hope. Even before COVID, we lived in an isolated culture where people ...

WHAAAT? "Wrestle" with God? Yep. You might refer to it as grappling or struggling, but like me, you've probably confronted and questioned God at some point in your life. 2020 has been a year of wrestling with God for me, and perhaps for you too.  I've agonized over the suffering ...

Eleven years ago, I was there – at the end of my rope. Holding on by threads, I knew if I let go I would plunge into a bottomless pit of despair. When cancer strikes, and death comes, and your life is changed forever, you are numb from the pain ...