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Dana Rongione 04/11/2024 Dana Rongione 04/11/2024

Invisible Lines and Impossible Standards

Have you ever felt like you're walking through a maze where the walls keep moving? Or perhaps trying to follow rules written in invisible ink? Welcome to the club! I've spent countless hours trying to decipher the unwritten social contract that seems to govern every interaction, only to find myself stumbling over invisible lines I didn't even know existed.

"Remind me about these things, but don't be a nag."

"Show initiative, but don't overstep."

"Give me all the information, but don't get bogged down in the details."

“Work hard, but don't overdo it."

"Rest, but don't be lazy."

The list of contradictory expectations goes on and on, enough to make anyone's head spin! Even in our spiritual lives, we often find ourselves trapped between seemingly opposing directives.

"Pray with faith, but don't be presumptuous."

"Trust God completely, but plan responsibly."

"Pour out your heart to God, but don't gripe or complain."

Dana Rongione 20/06/2024 Dana Rongione 20/06/2024

Helpless But Hopeful

At the time of this writing, it is three days before our biggest community event of the year. I’ve been planning and preparing for weeks, hoping to iron out every wrinkle so the day will run smoothly and successfully. But you know what the Bible says about man's plans, right?

About a week and a half ago, my back decided to throw one of its fits. This wasn't its everyday pinch, sting, and ache. This was lying flat in the bed for an entire week! Yup, a whole week where I couldn't work on the mountain of things that needed to be done. Oh, how helpless and frustrated I felt.

After a visit with my osteopath, I finally started feeling some relief and could start pecking away at a chore here and there as long as I took long rest and stretch breaks in between.

Dana Rongione 04/04/2024 Dana Rongione 04/04/2024

Crying Over Spilled Sand

Because of our house’s limited storage space, the seasonal flower arrangements from the chapels are typically placed into totes and stored in our attic. The problem is that the totes large enough to hold the arrangements are too large to go through the attic doorway unless they’re turned sideways. As you can imagine, this is not the best practice and usually results in my having to “tweak” the arrangements once they come down from the attic before displaying them in the chapel.

Recently, however, the arrangements that came out of the attic needed more than a simple adjustment. Half of the vases had fallen over, dumping their flowers and sand inside the tote. The result was a gritty, mangled mess that took several hours to rework.

Dana Rongione 25/07/2023 Dana Rongione 25/07/2023

God’s Rescuing Hand

Last week, we received a long-awaited response from the UK government concerning the appeal set forth by our sponsors. The news wasn't good. The request was denied, and our sponsors' license was revoked. What does this mean for us? From the time of that decision, we have 60 days to set up a new sponsorship and get a new visa or leave the country. You know those rollercoaster rides at amusement parks? Yep, that's exactly how our emotions have been taking us for a spin lately. Anxiety, stress, and frustration have been our not-so-friendly companions during this journey.

Dana Rongione 21/10/2022 Dana Rongione 21/10/2022

Jesus Will Meet You Where You Are

We’re all probably familiar with the sisters of Bethany: Mary and Martha. Like many sisters throughout the ages, the two ladies were very different. From the picture the Scriptures give us, I see Martha as a doer. She hosted dinner parties, cooked a mean meal, and could organize with the best of them. I imagine she was the type of woman who made lists and stuck to a rigorous schedule though I could be wrong. She just strikes me that way. A real go-getter. Not afraid to speak her mind or put her foot down. Yes, that’s how I envision Martha.

Dana Rongione 07/09/2022 Dana Rongione 07/09/2022

Not One Is Missing

For the past few months, I haven’t witnessed the starry sky for one simple reason—it wasn’t dark enough. Yes, one of the things that has taken us by surprise since moving to Wales is how long the days are in the summer. With Wales being so far north, the sun rises around 4:00 in the morning and doesn’t set until well after 10:00 in the evening during the summer months. Even after the sun sets, it never truly gets dark. This is one of the main reasons we have light-blocking curtains on the windows. That being the case, it’s been a while since I’ve seen the stars. At least, it had been until a few nights ago.

Dana Rongione 31/08/2022 Dana Rongione 31/08/2022

The Long Night of Nothing

After four years of traveling and eating out the majority of the time, we’ve finally settled enough to where I can address my eating habits and exercise routines again. For me, unfortunately, it means using that ugly four-letter word—diet.

Yes, I’m past that lovely age where I could skip one snack and lose three pounds. Way past! Now, I look at food and gain three pounds. And in the past four years, I feel like I’ve put as many pounds on my body as we did miles on our vehicles. Well, maybe that’s a bit extreme, but the truth is, I’m heavier than I’ve ever been in my life, and I don’t like it.