Author Archives: @thefaithoftrudy

Power. Politics. People. Purpose.

While some things in life are not at all surprising, they are nevertheless quite disappointing. People are people and given the chance most will disappoint you somewhere along the way. I don’t know that I have always accomplished this, but one thing I have tried very hard to do in life is not throw otherContinue reading “Power. Politics. People. Purpose.”

Darling Daughter #1

I haven’t been doing as many blog posts lately. Life has been busy with painting cabinets, doing lots of drawing and trying other new things. But even while I’ve been otherwise occupied I have been thinking of you and noodling on what to share next. Life is so very interesting that it’s entirely impossible toContinue reading “Darling Daughter #1”

Why do people have to be so darn peopley?

Recently my #1 darling daughter posted something on her Facebook page that has continued to bother me. It was a photo of a note written on a napkin to a waitress. While the writer expressed that the waitress had done an excellent job in providing service for him, he didn’t leave a monetary tip. InsteadContinue reading “Why do people have to be so darn peopley?”

Remember.

I’ve been noodling today on Ebenezers. And no, I don’t mean Ebenezer Scrooge. Even as I sit down to write this I have music playing in the background and suddenly “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” is serenading me and I ponder the power of Ebenezers. It’s only been in recent years that I learnedContinue reading “Remember.”

#GetYourThankfulOn

Although spring is my favorite season, November is my favorite month. It’s because Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  Much like Darling Daughter #1 begins to listen to Christmas music well before Christmas, I like to get a head start on Thanksgiving by focusing on what I am thankful for all month long.    I love Thanksgiving mostContinue reading “#GetYourThankfulOn”

When your “cause” becomes your idol…

It seems like we have gotten to a place where “doing what’s right” means doing what’s right for “our team” or doing whatever will advance the cause of “our team”. Our team might be political–democrats or republicans, it might be racial–black or white, it might be men vs. women, or perhaps it’s religious–Christians vs MuslimsContinue reading “When your “cause” becomes your idol…”

20 Seconds of Pure Courage…

What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? Do you hate that question? I kinda do. I mean let’s face it, failure is inevitable. We all do it. None of us like it. Most of us are afraid of it. And yet. And yet, have you ever accomplished anything of significance, anything thatContinue reading “20 Seconds of Pure Courage…”

Leadership…and just a little bit of snark

I don’t really know when I became a leader or when I realized I was a leader for that matter. For the most part I’ve never wanted to be a leader and often when called on to lead I’ve been a reluctant leader at best. As a little girl growing up there were a lotContinue reading “Leadership…and just a little bit of snark”

#preachingtomyself

This is something I posted on Facebook over 4 years ago but it’s still relevant and God’s still working on me so I thought I’d share it again… It’s so easy….so very, very easy, for us to get caught up with focusing on our differences–our skin is a different color, our political views are vastlyContinue reading “#preachingtomyself”

Chocolate Angel Food and Frozen Vanilla Custard

My sweet mama has long been known for her angel food cakes. I’ve actually never had anyone else’s angel food that is as good as hers. A few years ago I realized that I had no idea how to make an angel food cake so I asked my mom to teach me. My mom isContinue reading “Chocolate Angel Food and Frozen Vanilla Custard”

Love. Hate. Fear…Hope

Most people think that hate is the opposite of love. I learned a long time ago that actually it’s fear. Fear is the opposite of love. Hate is a by product of fear. Violence is a by product of fear. Failure, frustration, jealousy, anger, shame, rejection, guilt…all rooted in fear. I didn’t believe this whenContinue reading “Love. Hate. Fear…Hope”

The Greatest Accomplishment…

I have a friend and mentor who retired a couple of years ago. He’s a well known community leader with a long and successful career. The last time we met right before he retired he told me, “Well, it looks like I made it!”. Because of our relationship and his willingness to share both hisContinue reading “The Greatest Accomplishment…”

The Day the Neighbors Came, Big Boots or You’re Going to Think I’m Crazy…

I’ve realized over the years that I start a lot of sentences with the phrase “you’re probably going to think I’m crazy, but…”. ⬅️If you find this sentence offensive, please read to the end. My darling husband has this face that he makes when I start telling him with great excitement about my newest idea.Continue reading “The Day the Neighbors Came, Big Boots or You’re Going to Think I’m Crazy…”

The Killer B’s or Judging a Book…

Back in my glory days of working in healthcare there was a group of physicians that all had a last name that started with the letter B. Other doctors coined a nickname for them, “The Killer B’s”. Obviously, as a doctor that’s probably not the nickname you want to have pinned on you, and IContinue reading “The Killer B’s or Judging a Book…”

The fear of bunnies…

But guess what happened. Karen walked in, took a look around and said…

June 21, 2020

Happy Father’s Day! At the Bodenbach house today is a double celebration. It’s also our youngest daughter Molly’s birthday. She turns 21 years old today. None of us are quite sure how that happened. We kind of still think of her as being an 8 year old. Funny thing about kids, they have a wayContinue reading “June 21, 2020”

Hospitality is a form of resistance…

Hospitality is a form of resistance. It seems like an odd statement doesn’t it? A couple of years ago, a pastor friend of mine, shared this statement with a gathering of people that I was a part of. As I’m thinking back on it now, I’m remembering that gathering happened around a table. Hospitality isContinue reading “Hospitality is a form of resistance…”

Growing sprouts…

Store bought sprouts can be kind of pricey and that’s if you can find them at all. The ones I’ve bought in the past have cost around $3-$4 for about 4 ounces of sprouts and usually I’ve only been able to find a very limited variety. So I’ve started growing my own. It’s super easyContinue reading “Growing sprouts…”

Tell someone you love them, and dinner’s at 6…

I’m pretty sure eating is my spiritual gift. Some folks have told me they don’t think that’s really biblical, and maybe it’s not but it seems pretty clear to me that Jesus really liked to hang out around people’s tables. He even called himself the Bread of Life. Food is also my love language. ForContinue reading “Tell someone you love them, and dinner’s at 6…”

Welcome to our table…

C’mon in. We’re glad you’re here! One the things, maybe the thing, that our family loves best is having friends, family, and sometimes even strangers around our table. Be it a full blown meal, a piece of pie or even just a cup of coffee, there is just something magical that happens when people comeContinue reading “Welcome to our table…”