“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens.” —Ecclesiastes
The four seasons… Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter are all marked a significant changes in how we interact with the Earth. Each season is uniquely beautiful and transformative. The never ending cycle of nature adjusting to each distinctive season.
Daffodils are one of the first to bloom in Spring, bringing our landscape back into full color.
When the seasons begin to change, so do the needs of our loyal shoppers… each of the four seasons can bring a small shift of seasonal sales. Spring begins the lawn and garden season. Summer shopping is marked by a large demand of pool chemicals, and lawn and garden products.
Flowers are in abundance during the Summer season
Fall hardware store shopping centers around the demands of preparing for cooler weather, our customers are looking for stove pipe, wood stove maintenance products, rakes, and more!
Colorful Days of Fall
Winter, the cold months, our customers need kerosene heater maintenance, heating essentials, and Christmas gifts!!! Each of the four seasons keeps us busy with ongoing orders, and resets of seasonal supplies. We shift with each unique season.
Winter can bring cold temperatures and snow!
This reflection on the four unique seasons brought to mind the different “Seasons of Life”. We shift from season to season. I believe AGE is not necessarily a factor in these shifts in the different seasons of life.
The beauty of Fall Colors
I began to dwell on the changing of the seasons as we head into a new season, Winter.
Don’t we go through each of the four seasons as we age, possibly over and over again depending on the circumstances of your personal situation?? Hmmm… our lives are seasonal??? Can you imagine which season you are currently living through right now?
Spring… New Beginnings
Spring as a living season is full of renewal, change, new growth, and planting. This season is marked with new beginnings… like purchasing a new home, getting married, falling in love again, beginning a family, a new career, the list is long!!! Feeling of hope abounds in the Spring season.
Summer…Take A Risk and Splash In
Summer is a time of warmer days, time feels endless. The phase can bring more growth opportunities, whereas, harvesting your hard work from the Spring season. Taking risks becomes easier, pushing harder outside comfort zone. Motivation is key.
Fall.. Reflecting
Fall is a time to reflect. Reflection brings the opportunity to learn from mistakes, making plans for next phase, adjusting goals, noticing change, and simply enjoying the beauty around you, practicing gratitude for all things in your life.
Winter… Rest and Recharge
Winter brings rest. Winter is a time to recharge your batteries. If you are in the winter season, you might be experiencing sickness, or grief. With the “stillness” of the winter season, it can often bring clarity or wisdom (looking back and having peace) from earlier seasons previously journeyed through.
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” —Ecclesiastes
Whatever season you find yourself in life’s journey, relish it. If you are currently feeling the depths of the winter season, spring will come.
Footnote: I often begin writing pieces for my blog months prior to publication.
This specific blog piece I began writing and processing prior to finding out about my diagnosis of Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer.
After reflecting on this blog piece, I’m currently in “winter”, looking forward to seeing “spring”.
Whatever season you find yourself in right now, please know that seasons change and each will not last forever. “When your heart is tired, and your spirit is worn, remember God is your rest. He will renew your strength and carry you through the storm.” Isaiah 40:29
Often the Christmas Classics have an unscrupulous or “misfit”character that is central in the story. As the Christmas story unfolds, that unruly character evolves and begins to change over time, reaching a new level of understanding and empathy. The Grinch is no stranger to this scenario. The Grinch has a unique meaning for me this 2025 holiday season.
The Grinch… the neighbor North of Whoville who hated the entire Christmas season.
The Grinch…hated the thought of the people of Whoville experiencing joy on Christmas Day. He stole all of the Christmas presents, stockings, Christmas trees, feasting food and even the firewood logs!!!
The Grinch…hoped the joy of Christmas would be spoiled, every home had been emptied by him as he taken all of their possessions. But, it didn’t happen. The people of Whoville celebrated Christmas anyway.
The Grinch… eventually realized that Christmas had come without all the excitement of Christmas presents, toys, wrapping paper, and all the other components of how we often celebrate Christmas Day. Christmas was about something so much more.
The Grinch… Experiencing Cancer, sickness OR even the loss of a loved one during the holiday season. These life altering events can definitely steal the Joy of the Holiday Season and leave you feeling sad, stressed or “Grinchy”.
The Grinch…personally present for me this holiday season, but NOT stealing the hope for healing, or the joy of celebrating the holiday season with family and friends. Will the holiday look potentially different? Yes. But, so will the next few months. Meeting my care team, Surgery, radiation, and ❤️🩹 begin the process of healing and recovery.
The Grinch… learned that the Whoville community gathered together to celebrate what was wonderfully good about Christmas, ultimately making his heart grow bigger.
The Grinch… has nothing our own hardware community….We are blessed. I always look forward to your smiles, laughter, and conversations as you have continued to shop with us for the last 10 years. You have become a part of our family.
The Grinch… The arrival of Cancer within my own life has made me very thankful and grateful for my community of family and friends who are supporting me daily as I embark upon a journey to find wellness once again. My heart is full of strength, hope, and courage as I continue to live ONE day at a time.
The Grinch… Unable to steal Christmas away, because Christmas is so much more than the day itself. Christmas is more about tiny acts of kindness, compassion, community spirit, and finding Grace in second chance opportunities.
The Grinch… Often when sickness or grief comes, we don’t allow ourselves the opportunity to live in full grace. The daily mantra should be for us all, not just cancer patients to live ONE DAY AT A TIME. When experiencing grief, anxiety, sickness, or cancer, every single day can be challenge with ever changing health conditions, or emotions. Through God’s grace, tomorrow is a uniquely different day. Celebrate the positive days and allow ourselves to rest when we need to.
Foot Note: Earlier this month, I was officially diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer, my Grinch. This cancer was found after my regularly scheduled mammogram. I strongly encourage everyone to keep all medical screening appointments. It’s so easy to get “busy” in the moment and forget about or delay them months down the line.
My initial prognosis is good and surgery will be scheduled soon. I have two appointments this week in Winston Salem. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers over the next few months. I covet your prayers.
I know many of you that might be reading this today, have faced similar health challenges whether it was long term sickness, loss of a dear loved one, or a personal battle with cancer and can empathize with my personal situation.
Moving forward, we may find it necessary to alter our store hours to accommodate my appointments. Please be patient with us as we try to navigate this new “un-normal” phase of life for us.
Please also consider that if you reach out to our social media pages that a response might be delayed due to this new phase “unwellness” I am experiencing. That being said, If you need an immediate response to a specific product question, please call the hardware store for further assistance. We thank you for your support and understanding.
Wishing y’all a very Merry Christmas season! 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
My heart is sad today. We lost a dear friend a few days ago. He died of a heart attack. I’m sad to say that he was younger than me.
Rest in peace dear friend and may you rise in glory
February is Heart Health Awareness Month. Did you know that one of the leading causes of death among women in America is heart disease? I was stunned when I heard that fact recently on the news. It was one of those moments in time when I began recalling women in my life who faced heart health challenges and it created a bit of discomfort in my mind. So where do I go from those uneasy thoughts??? And now the loss of friend due to heart health issues.
Those thoughts… led to a bit of reflection on my current lifestyle, eating habits, and a mental checklist of progress since LAST February when I began my weight loss journey.
In February of 2023, I was unhappy with my weight and just in general, how I was feeling. Both of our eating habits had deteriorated into a fast-paced lunch without a lot of thought into what we ate. We were grabbing whatever was convenient and easy, not necessarily healthy. Planning meals or even thinking ahead about what we should eat… well, that simply did not happen. Change had to happen and it finally did!
Time is a factor for many… do we make wise heart healthy food choices??? Well… maybe not always
Change and progress has been slow but steady. To date, I have lost and kept off consistently 36 pounds, which I’ll consider as success! I realize that I still have a few more goals left to accomplish, so my work is not done yet.
My eye doctor always jokes around with me about A-G-E disease… we both laugh and nod about how much AGE can impact our eyes. I bet that if we really think about it, A-G-E disease can be applied elsewhere.
Yes, I need these constantly!
That being said, AGE can slowly creep upon you, whether we realize it’s happening or not, and changes are inevitable… the body IS changing with age. That’s not revolutionary, that’s just simple science.
Happy Heart ❤️ … finding beauty in the world each day
Unhealthy eating habits and patterns can impact health. These factors combined CAN influence our overall physical health and wellbeing. Heart health and establishing healthy eating habits go hand and hand.
Listed below are FIVE key takeaways that I have learned from my weight loss journey which have served me well in the last year. I hope that these tips will inspire you to keep working towards good heart health, consistent weight management, and overall better wellbeing in 2024.
1. Find your willpower. Weight loss is not easy and it takes considerable effort and dedication to make it happen. The weight loss curve is not a true downhill line. Mine has been full of zips and zags along the way. Be consistent and keep going strong, your heart will thank you!
Weight fluctuations happen. I have consistently been weighing in each day to monitor my progress, expecting the fluctuations to occur so that I’m not disappointed in my overall performance. Did you know that Wilkes County Hardware has scales in stock ???
2. Eating in a calorie deficit was an adjustment and an eye opener!!! I had no idea how many calories I was consuming daily until I started managing my intake at each meal. It was surprising and shocking! 😳 Enough said!
3. You can eat anything within reason, when you think about portion size AND as long as you plan ahead… example… if you eat lunch at a restaurant with friends, plan to eat light at your evening meal. Choosing to focus on filling foods (green foods – those with a high water content),eat a balance of protein, and eat the rainbow of colors (thinking about colors of vegetables/fruits) have been helpful to me.
Many people think it’s expensive to be on a diet and buy food for that “diet plan” … BUT, when you shop differently, there are simply things you don’t put in your shopping cart anymore, which could make a difference in your shopping habits and overall savings! If you are shopping around for the best app or diet plan to try, pick one that best suits your needs and lifestyle… Making sure to look at the overall long term impact.
My personal experience taught me that eating more vegetables and smaller amounts of meat was helpful. I don’t exclude anything from my diet but, I do try to honor a cravings, while make wiser choices when it comes to food choices, staying away from empty calories. AND you can eat well and on a budget by shopping around for the best deals on fruits and veggies! We love Aldi and Food Lion locally here.
4. Just Keep moving! Keeping up a vigorous exercise routine might be great, but most of us don’t have the time for it. Consistent movement each day… that is the key!!! Just keep on moving and going. Monitor your steps and add try to add a few steps more each day. You might be surprised how many steps you can get in just by cleaning the house, running errands, etc.
I’ll often walk to pick up lunch from Main Street or to do a quick errand… it’s actually great exercise and I can get a few extra steps in.
5. Drink plenty of water. It helps!!! Reduce your sugary drink consumption… You will quickly notice the difference in how you feel and your heart will appreciate it too!
We keep water stocked in our drink cooler at the hardware store!
My motivation was simple. I didn’t like how my weight was making me feel physically. Being overweight can create heart health issues, higher cholesterol, diabetes, and a host of other problems. I didn’t want any of those health concerns coming into play in my life anytime soon. So I decided to take action. I know my numbers… I had my yearly check up this month so I’m familiar with my current progress and what I need to do in regard to my numbers… blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. It’s a balancing act of all of these things… managing your numbers, weight and stress. Do I do that well enough??? Well… that’s a work in progress but the effort is there.
Stress relief… find those beautiful places, hobbies, or take time to unwind and recharge.
In closing, I’m sharing a few tips directly from the American Heart Association to GO RED Campaign for women which can apply to anyone who wants to be Heart Healthy.
• G: GET YOUR NUMBERS – Ask your doctor to check your blood pressure and cholesterol.
• O: OWN YOUR LIFESTYLE – Stop smoking, lose weight, exercise, and eat healthy.
• R: REALIZE YOUR RISK – We think it won’t happen to us, but heart disease kills 1 in 3 women.
• E: EDUCATE YOUR FAMILY – Make healthy food choices for you & your family and stay active.
• D: DON’T BE SILENT – Tell every woman you know that heart disease is our No. 1 killer.Heart disease and stroke cause 1 in 3 deaths among women each year – more than all cancers combined! The more we know about our heart health, action can occur and prevention strategies can be developed.
I’ve decided to not be silent. I’m sharing a small portion of my journey with you and my hope is that you can take away something from my own personal experience to help you or someone else who might benefit from this.
February Reading about Longevity patterns across the globe.
I’ll often draft/edit a blog post and leave them in editing mode… I had honestly thought about pushing this one off for a while. But after the events of last week, I changed my mind. It is never too late to start a new chapter in life. Here’s to being Heart Healthy and having Happy Hearts in 2024!
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The Hardware Life - A wife's journey into the hardware business 