Debi Fronczek

I once heard the statement "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything."  At the time I thought 'that's a good statement'  and tucked it away in my arsenal of interesting quotes.  It wasn't until I was faced with a really tough situation that required me to make a stand one way or the other  that I realized how true this statement really is.  In our circle of friends and family, we can all name a few people who, because of our relationship, we let wrongdoing or bad behavior slip by without calling it what it is - sin.   I do not like conflict so I avoid taking a stand that I know will cause someone else not to like me or to be mad at me. I highly value my relationships with my friends and family.  When I am in a lot of turmoil and troubled, the only place I know I will find comfort and an answer is by reading the Bible and praying.  As I was praying over this particular situation, God spoke into my heart in that still small voice...

Each year a group of friends make their way to Panama City Beach to meet for a week of fun in the sun.  It is a week long party, playing volleyball and corn hole on the beach, riding the waves, bronzing our bodies and of course eating together each evening.  I feel very fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful group of friends. This morning most of the group had already settled into their places and were already soaking up the sun's rays, by the time Mr Wonderful and I got to the beach.  We unloaded our beach paraphernalia and got ourselves settled.  Mr Wonderful joined a group to play a game of volleyball and I went about taking pictures,  which is one of my favorite things to do.  When the game was over, Mr Wonderful and I decided to take a dip in the ocean to cool off.  The sun reflecting on the water  looked like diamonds floating all around us. Beautiful white puffy clouds overhead gave us a brief respite from the heat of the sun now and...

I don't know what it is about going to a buffet that makes a person think they have to eat EVERYTHING they see.  It must be the "all you can eat" for one price that makes you want to get your money's worth.  Never mind the fact that you are going to be miserable the rest of the day or night because you have overstuffed yourself.  My husband and I are on vacation and that is exactly what we did tonight.  He is now lying on the sofa in the condo watching the US Open on TV and I'm out on the patio blogging.  We will probably maintain our respective places until we roll ourselves into the bedroom to sleep it off. Speaking of being stuffed, another subject comes to mind...my house.  I keep accumulating stuff - because 'someday' I might need it.  Is there anyone else in the world that does that?  I probably do that because that is what my mother did.  I remember when my mother died, it took my sister and I working from dawn to dusk for six weeks ...

I love celebration events of all kinds...weddings, showers, garden parties, or the "hey, whatcha doin' tonight, wanna come over?" impromptu get together.  So when a couple of my friends were getting married, I offered my place for a garden wedding.  The couple wanted an intimate wedding with close friends and family (a list of about 50) so I figured I could handle that.  My friend, Betsy, and I began to plan.  We decided to rent the china, stemware, napkins and overlays for the table. I borrowed tables, chairs, tablecloths, silverware, and serving pieces from many different friends. I made the floral arrangements, bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres.  My garden provided a beautiful backdrop with blooming hydrangeas, lily's, impatiences, dahlias and other blooming flowers and shrubs.  I hung white lights around the deck railing and gazebo and draped them with fabric.  We erected an arch and covered it with lights and tulle. The t...

Adam Smith said "The real tragedy of the poor is the poverty of their aspirations." My husband and I often are faced with situations around us of people who are in dire straights.  Our desire is to be the hand and feet of Jesus in our life so we do all we can to help in whatever way we can.  Sadly, many times it is only a bandaid for their situation.  Our intent is to help them get a "leg up" as it were, but we have found that what a person thinks really does make a difference in the outcome.  We have discovered that there is a lot of people who DON'T want to earn much but they DO want to enjoy the fruits of others. It appears to me that our government is creating a whole new society of people who want what others have but are too lazy to do what is needed to obtain it.  America is the nation it is because of men and women who wanted out of a society that held them back.  They were hard working men and women who did what was necessary to fulfi...

Today is my 57th birthday. I say the words but I do not comprehend how I got to this point in my life.  Oh, yeah...one day at a time.  Slow but sure...and all that jazz.  I have to say that the ride has been pretty good. As I look back over my life, I have had the privilege to do many things.  I started out in a wonderful loving home with two of the most amazing people as my parents.  I lived on a farm in the hills of West Virginia - and if you didn't already know- it's almost heaven.  I married a marine and in the first seventeen years of my "adult" life we moved about once a year.  I lived in many different states, made many friends & raised a family.  I enjoyed the military life.  In California, I worked in an insurance claims office filing and general office work then I decided to stay home and babysit.  I made $25 a week and took care of 3 babies.  In the late 70's, we thought $75 a week extra was a lot of money.  I ...

It was Easter Sunday and the attendance was more than usual at our little country church.  We could always count on the church being full on Easter and Christmas.  This particular morning, Mildred got to church early.  She had worn her best dress and cleaned up "real good". Mildred was a wonderful old hill woman.  I say that affectionately and with no prejudice.  She was one of those "what you see is what you get" people.   So many try to impress others or pretend to be something they are not.  However, that was not the case with Mildred.  She always looked on the bright side of things.  No matter how bad things were, she would say, "things could be worse."  Like many people in the area, she had the unfortunate experience of having all her teeth  removed and was fitted with a set of dentures.  It was disappointing to her that they did not fit her quite right.  This particular Easter morning her teeth were very u...