Coffee Time Reflections with Silvia Escobar

It feels like a life long journey to get to the point when you don’t feel like you have to impress anyone. I think we would all like to think we don’t care about what others think. And I certainly care less now than I used to. Still, there are glimpses that if you touch… Continue reading You don’t have to impress anyone

I read a phrase a long time ago that I never forgot. “Your kids are only in your way when you rather be somewhere else.” While raising and homeschooling six kids, that was a phrase that I kept front and center in my mind. It helped me stay present. As a result, I loved spending… Continue reading Maybe you just need a break.

Well, here we are — the stage Arturo and I have been walking through for the last decade. If I had to describe these years in one phrase, it would be growing closer together through change. We are now empty nesters, yet our lives feel full. We continue working in real estate, and honestly, we’re… Continue reading The 4 Stages of a 40 Year Marriage (years 31 to 40)

I once heard someone say that our discontent lives in the space between expectation and reality. Absolutely! Whether it’s marriage, parenting, friendships, work or anything else we expected to go better than it did—disappointment shows up when we face that gap. So what do we do with it? Here are some thoughts. Evaluate your expectations.Not… Continue reading When Reality Doesn’t Match What You Hoped For

On our 20th anniversary, I realized something that felt monumental to me — I had officially been married longer than I had been single. We married when I was 19. Two weeks after our 20th anniversary, I turned 40… and was surprised with not one, but two birthday parties that year. The third decade of… Continue reading The 4 Stages of 40 Years of Marriage (21-30)

There is a word that has been on my mind: capacity. In general, capacity is the maximum amount that something can contain. There are objects that can never expand and their capacity remains the same—like a glass bottle or a pan. Other things depend on our creativity to arrange what goes inside them. A dishwasher,… Continue reading Your Capacity Is Growing(Even When It Feels Like Too Much)

Last week I began sharing what 40 years of marriage has looked like for us, one decade at a time. Today, we move into years 11–20. If I had to describe this stage in one word, it would be BUSY. These are the years when life feels full in every direction. Expenses peak. Activities multiply.… Continue reading The 4 Stages of 40 Years of Marriage (Years 11–20)

As a person of faith, I have a quiet time every day in which I journal the reading of the day. The Book of Proverbs is one of my favorite books to journal about. It is full of wisdom and practical steps. For example, Proverbs 15:4 says, “The tongue that brings healing is a tree… Continue reading Do our words really have power?

Arturo and I shared a Valentine’s message at the church of dear pastor friends. We divided our 40 years of marriage into four stages — one decade at a time. Over the next four weeks, I’ll share each stage. If you’re married or in a long-term relationship, I’ll likely touch on the season you’re living… Continue reading The 4 Stages of 40 Years of Marriage (Part 1)

In Superman III, Ross Webster is asked why he wants to destroy the opposition when he already has so much. His answer: “It is not enough that I succeed—everyone else must fail.” That line stuck with me when I first heard it in 1983. I didn’t have language for it then, but today we recognize… Continue reading Is it true that I must fail so you can win?