When Your Best Efforts Fall Short

I stared at my computer screen, scratching my head in confusion. The tutorial for the new publishing software had seemed straightforward enough: Import your manuscript, format the chapters, add the front matter, and voilà – a perfectly formatted book would emerge. Yet here I sat, staring at a mess of misaligned text and wonky page numbers that looked nothing like the polished example in the tutorial video.

"I followed every step!" I muttered to myself, replaying the tutorial for the dozenth time. But something was clearly missing, and my frustration level was rising faster than bread dough in a warm kitchen.

It reminded me of so many areas in life where we diligently follow the "instruction manual" but still end up scratching our heads at the results.

Dana Rongione 28/04/2023 Dana Rongione 28/04/2023

Doggie Days and Unmet Expectations

With the spring weather finally emerging here in Wales, Jason purchased and set up a two-seater swing for me to enjoy. I love spending time outdoors and curling up in a comfy place to read or write. After he set it up, Tess and I spent much of the day snuggled together in the plush swing. To say she was as excited about it as I would be an understatement. She loved it so much that she went outside by herself after lunch. When several minutes had passed, and she hadn’t returned, I went to check on her. Guess where she was. That rotten little thing was stretched out on the swing, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. In her mind, she had a new outside bed. After enjoying more time outside as a family that evening, Jason and I removed the cushions from the swing and brought them inside to keep them dry during the next few days of rain.

Dana Rongione 19/04/2023 Dana Rongione 19/04/2023

How Do You Deal With Life’s Interruptions?

I stared at the question on my computer screen and laughed out loud. Since I sat down to prepare for my Bible study lesson, I have had numerous phone calls, text messages, and other disturbances. How do I deal with interruptions? If my growing annoyance and frustration with others are any indication, not very well, it would seem.

How about you? How do you handle rained-out picnics, canceled vacations due to family illness, or guests showing up on your one quiet night, surprising you with their impromptu visit and expectations of dinner? How do you react when the dog doesn’t quit barking, the kids won’t quit fighting, the boss won’t quit complaining, and the world around you won’t stop asking for more of you?

Dana Rongione 14/09/2022 Dana Rongione 14/09/2022

Growing Tired of Square One

I've spent the past two weeks recovering from a severe flareup from my back injury and let me tell you, it's been excruciating. Not just the pain, mind you, though that was enough to keep me in bed for over a week. But the frustration of knowing that once I was better, I would have to start back at square one. Boy, am I tired of square one!!!

Dana Rongione 17/08/2022 Dana Rongione 17/08/2022

Mismatched Pieces

A few days ago, Jason pulled a pair of socks out of his drawer. As he unrolled the socks, he immediately noticed an issue—they weren’t the same. I know we’ve all mismatched a blue and black sock or two socks of the same color, but that was not the case here. No, these two socks were as different as could be. One was a medium-weight black crew sock; the other was a heavy-weight tan, tall sock. They weren’t the same color, length, style, or weight. Yet, somehow, I had paired the two together and placed them in his drawer. Wow! Just wow!

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