Kara's Soft Words

It may be common knowledge that I live in a rural area on Maryland's Eastern Shore. I love being able to look at the trees and various plants and watch the sunrise/sunset- seeing the colors in the sky and whatnot. . . However, one thing that I don't care for is the possibility of dealing with deer on the road 😒. I don't know. Maybe it's this week's fluctuating temperatures or just the time of the year. . . but the deer in my area seem to be out of hand→ just chillin' in the middle of the street or acting like they want to boldly 'greet' you while you're driving. This week alone, I've had 3 or 4 close calls! My scariest incident occurred a couple of days ago. It was hot and humid so I decided to adjust the air conditioner. I literally glanced down at the knob and looked up- just in time to see a huge buck making its way across the street (in front of me)! I slammed on my brakes (thankfully, no one was behind me) and avoided hitting it- o

Seeing pictures was one thing but walking around my "auntie's" new home kind of blew my mind. A little over a year before this visit, my mom and I sat with her as she described this place  that she wanted to move into. I honestly think I forgot about it for a while until I saw Facebook posts regarding the move. It was really happening! Seeing my auntie's new home- in person and attempting to take in its beauty made me grateful to God for the way that He had blessed her! Romans 12:15 instructs us to "Rejoice with them that rejoice." During our visit, both my mother and auntie challenged/encouraged me to give myself more credit, step out on faith, and pursue the goals and dreams that mean(t) the most to me. A few days later, I decided to make a 30 by 30 List .  I decided that even if I don't accomplish every single item by the time I'm 30 years old, I still want to work towards completing the list or revising it as it becomes

Here we are. . . It's one year later & I'm grateful that she didn't have to question my love before she left. In her last few years, she forgot my name and age (and the fact that we lived together) but she was quick to call me "such a sweet girl." <3 Living with and caring for someone dealing with dementia and/or Alzheimer's Disease definitely has its challenges and share of frustrations. Over time, my frustration turned into gratitude. I was grateful even though my family & I had to shape our schedules around my grandmother's needs! I was grateful that she was able to live with us, as long as she did... until she needed to be permanently moved into a nursing home! I was grateful that I had multiple (family) friends working at the nursing home- who I knew would look out for her! After she moved into the nursing home, my parents and I picked specific days that we each would go visit her, in addition to weekly family visits. My day was WEDNE

I don't remember this ever happening before but. . . I woke this morning and I was ANGRY! I felt so frustrated that I almost wanted to cry! I knew for sure that these emotions were the result of the nightmare I'd just had. Backstory/the nightmare: I was in a shopping center with one of my girlfriends. We were about to walk across the parking lot and go into a laundromat (for my Chestertown/Kent County people-> think Kent Plaza lol) when we were approached by a group of 3 or 4 guys. The "spokesman" was very attractive [remember that]. He greeted us and asked how we were doing. We said "fine" and smiled but in the pit of my stomach, I didn't get a good feeling about him or the group he was with. They tried to ask where we were headed and I gave them a general answer like, "We're running errands" or "We'll be around." We parted ways but I couldn't shake the eerie feeling. When my friend and I got into the laundromat