One Crafty Widow - Random Thoughts Along the Way

Marriage: A Bit of a Rant ...

2/10/2026

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

In a crossword puzzle I was doing today, there was a clue: single. The word was 5 letters; I had two filled in, and knew the answer.
I just knew it because the narrative that has been running in my subconscious my whole life says that marriage is the standard by which all other relationships are measured. Ergo, to be single is to be unwed.

My Evolving Relationship with Death

1/20/2026

Image by Fifi from Pixabay

In this post, I talked about the saying, "Death is a part of life." I shared how Rod's death became part of my life, and I pondered the cyclical nature of life and death.

I've recently come across another perspective of Death that is shifting how I think about Death's role, once again, in what remains of my life.

Winter Solstice

12/24/2025

I’ve had an awareness of the Winter Solstice for as long as I can remember. I always thought of it as the shortest day of the year. And then it was December 22. Life moves on.

This week, I’ve heard it referenced in two other ways.

To See, Or Not To See

6/23/2025

Image by 愚木混株 Cdd20 from Pixabay

I always assumed that being blind would be like if I closed my eyes or put something over them.

I thought blindness would be nothing but darkness. Like having the lights out.
At night.
All the time.

Cheat code: LEARN

4/15/2025

I've been playing a puzzle game on my phone lately, one where you have to slide pieces around each other in an effort to maneuver each piece to its color-coded exit spot. The more pieces you remove from the board, the easier it gets to clear the board.

Image by PIRO from Pixabay

Kid Stuff

1/30/2025

Image by Raquel Candia from Pixabay

In an effort to be more ecologically responsible, I have been looking for ways to reduce the amount of plastic I purchase and then consequently discard. One discovery I made was a powdered dishsoap.
The website shows videos of happy people using their product, creating a lovely foamy lather by sprinkling this powder onto a wet sponge, and washing their dishes. Cool.
I considered this for a minute before I was hit with a memory from my childhood.

Divinity of God in Me

8/28/2024

Psalm 139 tells me I was knit together in my mother’s womb. I always envisioned this to be the weaving of my DNA strands together to create my physical being, like braiding hair. God would weave them in and out of one another to create something that He would then fasten off when I was complete.

But what if God 'knitting me together' was less like putting together a piece of IKEA furniture and more like interweaving my soul with His?

Image by Darwin Laganzon from Pixabay

Love Your Body?

10/3/2023

Image by 愚木混株 Cdd20 from Pixabay

I used to think of loving my body in the context of loving how I looked on the outside - to love the parts of me I can see. But what if loving my body can mean something different?

As I looked in the mirror one morning, I noticed how my eyes looked, and then I noticed how they were able to see whatever I looking at.

Jesus but ...

3/5/2023

Be like Jesus.

Cool. I can raise the dead?

Don’t be silly. But you can be like Jesus.

Ok, so I can lay hands on people and heal them.

No. Just be like Jesus.

What about walking on water, or calming the storm?

No. And you can't feed thousands of people with five loaves and two fish, either. You just need to be like Jesus.

Image by John Hain from Pixabay

Prayer Is Intention

7/30/2022

Image by Gábor Bejó from Pixabay

I’ve heard mantras like “Let go and let God,” or been encouraged to leave my requests at the cross.

According to these mantras, we enlist God to do a thing - we focus on the outcome. Make this sickness go away. Sell my house. Grant me that job - or a job. That’s putting it in God’s hands, right? Then we are supposed to let go or walk away. We are to pray and then sit back and wait for the miracle, no matter how small.