Robin Patchen's Blog, page 6

Cheese Ring or Baked Brie

The holidays are here, and I’m in a quandary. I’ve posted two recipes over at Quid Pro Quills today. Which would you choose to serve, Cheese Ring or Baked Brie? Stop by a vote.

Life in the Margins

I’m blogging over at Quid Pro Quills today on living life in the margin. Here’s an excerpt:

I was so busy last week, I never had time to mop my kitchen floor. I won’t get into the details (not of the busy-ness nor of the dirty floor), but suffice it to say, it was all my fault. Let’s blame my artistic (okay, flaky) mind, shall we? I simply forgot something very important, and I had to get it done—fast. Some of you may be thinking, “You have a job, a house, a husband, and three teenagers. Aren’t you always that busy?”

Nope, I’m not.

Stop by and tell us how you manage the busy-ness in your own life.

 

Grace in Politics

I’m blogging over at Quid Pro Quills today on having grace for politicians. Here’s an excerpt:

The election is over (except for the recounts and runoffs, of course) and your choice might’ve won. He or she might’ve lost.

Show of hands: How many of you voted yesterday? Those of you with your hands up—good for you! Those of you whistling and looking the other way—what were you thinking?

Wait, let me guess. “I don’t have time to vote”? Or maybe, “My vote doesn’t matter that much.” The one I hear a lot lately is: “All those politicians are corrupt, and I refuse to vote for any of them.”

Do you struggle with offering grace to politicians with whom you disagree? I’d love to her from you. Pop over to Quid Pro Quills and share your opinions.

The Joys of Apartment Living

I’m blogging over at Quid Pro Quills about the unexpected joy I found in living in a small apartment with my husband and three small kids. Here’s an excerpt:

My husband and I moved from New Hampshire to Massachusetts a few months into our marriage. The 600-square-foot apartment was so small, most of the treasures we’d received as wedding gifts remained in boxes for the two years we lived there.

I’d love to hear your stories. Pop over to Quid Pro Quills and share about your unexpected joys.

Three Observations from the Sunrise

I’m blogging over at Quid Pro Quills today about the sunrise I observed while at the ACFW conference in St. Louis. Here’s an excerpt:

I was in St. Louis recently for a writers conference. Sunday morning I awoke an hour early, got ready, walked across the street to the Arch, and made my way to the edge of the Mississippi River. Good timing got me there just as the sun was about to rise.

 

Stop by and share your own observations. 

Parenting and Apollo 13

I’m blogging today over at Quid Pro Quills about what parenting and the movie Apollo 13 have in common. Here’s a short excerpt:

 

Do you remember the movie, Apollo 13? There’s this scene where the astronauts are headed back to earth and have to perform a manual course correction. The plan is to burn the engines for 39 seconds while keeping the earth in the window, thus ensuring they’re headed in the right direction. Sounds simple enough, right? But then, they light the engines, and their ship dances around like an ADHD 4-year-old on Kool-Aid and cupcakes. For 39 seconds, they shift up, shift down, move this direction and that, while the earth goes in and out of view. And just at the last second when you think there’s no way they’re going to get their ship pointed in the right direction, the earth settles in the window, and they turn off the engines.

 

Stop by and tell us your favorite parenting stories.

Lonely in a Crowd

I’m blogging over at Quid Pro Quills today about my shy and lonely college days. Here’s an excerpt:

I used to be painfully shy.

I went to college at Northeastern University. If you’ve ever visited the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, you most likely passed right by my first apartment. I learned about the world from a very new (and left-of-center) viewpoint. I learned about writing and editing in my journalism classes. And outside of class, I learned a lesson I’ve never forgotten:

When you’re lonely, you never feel more alone than when you’re in the middle of a crowd.

Have you ever experienced shyness or loneliness? Stop by Quid Pro Quills and share your story.

Lessons from the Memorial

I’m blogging over at Quid Pro Quills today about lessons I learned at my brother’s memorial service. Here’s an excerpt:

Two weeks ago I blogged about how God had taken me deeper in my faith than He ever had before. I had no idea how much deeper I had still to go.

My family and I were in Cancun. We never would’ve gone, except the news about my little brother had been good for days. The doctors had gone from saying, “He’s not out of the woods yet,” and “He’s a very sick man,” to, “He has a long road ahead.” A road meant recovery. A road meant a future. We could handle a road. So my family and I boarded a plane to Mexico on Saturday, assuring my sister-in-law we’d go to Dallas to visit him when we returned home. But just two days later, the news was bleak.

Stop by and share your stories.

Oceans

I’m blogging over at Quid Pro Quills today about what it’s like to have a family member in ICU, fighting for his life. Here’s an excerpt:

Have you ever heard Oceans by Hillsong UNITED. If not, I urge you to listen to a few minutes of it. I heard it for the first time when I visited a new church a few months ago, and it touched me so deeply, I prayed the words as they scrolled across the screen.

Not thinking that God might actually take me up on it.

Stop by Quid Pro Quills and say hello.

God is Always Good

 

My latest blog post is up at Quid Pro Quills. Here’s an excerpt:

A routine health exam led to a cancer scare for a dear friend back in March. After too much time and too little sleep, she learned she didn’t have cancer. After more tests, she was told she had cirrhosis of the liver. For my teetotaler friend, this was not just bad but shocking news. Weeks went by while she limited her salt intake, tried to amend her diet to accommodate this terrible diagnosis, and prayed the biopsy would show that the disease hadn’t progressed too much.

The biopsy showed more than that—she’d been misdiagnosed completely. Not cirrhosis of the liver.

Read the rest at Quid Pro Quills, where I blog twice monthly.