Hi Y’all, I’m Beth
I’m Beth Gramling Sanders, an empty nester, married since 1986, and mom of two wonderful grown women.
Way geekier than most women my age, along with my oldest daughter, Elizabeth, I stood in line for 12 hours in 2007 for the very first iPhone.
Hi Y’all, I’m Beth
I’m an empty nester, way geekier than most women my age. I consider myself too old to be a hipster and too young at heart to be a geezer. I’m a Christ follower, life-long St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan, crossword puzzle nerd, wordsmith and all-around technology freak and early adopter.
I was a stay-at-home mom for 14 years, as my husband, Jim, and I raised our two daughters. I enjoy my girls as adults more than I ever dreamed and love being free from enforcing curfew, nagging about homework, and throwing down a four-course dinner every night.
This blog is my personal thoughts and insights on life, family, faith, the expression of experiences and wisdom gained through 60+ years of life, and things I enjoy.
My professional self is on my website, aptly named BethGSanders.com.
Latest Post
Bye Cancer. Now Lose My Number.
I'm a richly blessed old chick. The summer of 2023 started with my first ever colonoscopy on June 13. The gastroenterologist who did the procedure was a real jerk. It's bad to be a jerk, but I think it's a lot worse to be a doctor and a jerk. This particular ass in...
The Empty Nest Countdown: 20 Days
In 20 days, my youngest daughter, Sara Ann, leaves for college. It’s the most significant life change since I first became a mother in 1988. I’ve been counting down the days, not to be morbid, but because it's easier for me to process if I'm aware of what is...
In Permanent Ink
What is the one thing you are least likely to do? Jump out of an airplane? Go camping? Run a marathon? There is no skydive, no tent and definitely no 26.2 in my future, but if you had asked me this time last year what I’d be less likely to do than any of those ... it...
And the World Will Be Better For This
About 17 years ago (June 13, 1993), my Daddy left this earthly life. Each year at this time I write about him and one or more of the qualities that made him the kind of man I want to write about 17 years after his death. This year, it’s idealism. His idealism was best...
The Poor Through God’s Eyes
Earlier this week, I volunteered at Manna House (more about Manna House here, here and here) as I often do. There is never a time that I leave there without some new insight, but on this day I left with a book in hand as well. The book, Radical Compassion, Finding...
Graduation Days
My youngest child can now: Vote, Buy cigarettes, Get a tattoo, Sign a lease, Get married, Join the military, Be prosecuted as an adult. I hope she does 1 and 5 (but let's wait a few years for 5), 3 is coming soon, I figure she'll do 4 in a year or so and hope she'll...
Sacred Tears
I had to catch my breath. Early one morning last week I checked Facebook and saw this status: "There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of...
Reason, Doubt and Reasonable Doubt
Ugh. Jury duty. Dread. I reported to the federal courthouse building on a snowy morning when I’d rather have stayed in bed. My hope was that I’d be quickly excused, but as the process unfolded, I became intrigued. My name was called, the judge questioned me and the...
Integrity: Nothing New Under the Sun
I just left a business networking event with accomplished entrepreneurs, consultants and more CPAs than I’ve ever seen in one place in my entire life. Although as a general rule, financial people scare me to death, these were gracious and welcoming folks and I enjoyed...
Shane Claiborne Inspires and Encourages
Shane Claiborne doesn’t look — or live — like an average preacher. This author, Christian activist and sought-after speaker wears no tie, not even a blazer and jeans, but casual, comfortable clothes and has dreadlocks that hang past his shoulders. Raised in east...
Christmas 2.0
My Christmas tree doesn't look like much anymore. In fact. there are no gifts under the tree at all. There isn't even a tree skirt; the dogs just keep playing with it and doing their business on it, so what's the use? These days, the girls' Christmas lists just...
Once More Across Home Plate
I turned 51 a couple of weeks ago. I like birthdays. And no cancer survivor in their right mind complains about getting another year older. It's kind of like a lopsided baseball game — even though the winning team is far ahead, they still try to cross home plate one...
Daddy: Giving is Joy
Today would have been my Daddy's 75th birthday. I always write about him on his birthday and reflect on his impact on my life. One of the qualities he lived and taught by example is giving. Many times after he visited, we would find a $100 bill tucked away in some...
Sunset or Sunrise?
It was a beautiful sunset — or was it a sunrise? I watched it from our deck of my family's house overlooking Greers Ferry Lake. Sara Ann was about to begin her senior year in high school, my last school year with a child at home. Prelude to the empty nest. Between the...
I Was Wrong
What are homeless people like? Though it's not easy to admit, I harbored some preconceived notions: Dangerous. Violent. Unintelligent. Uncaring. Lazy. Scary. Until a few weeks ago. Until Manna House. My first experience humbled and overwhelmed me. With regret for the...
Is it a Donut or is it Manna?
Today someone offered me a piece of a chocolate donut ... and it made me cry. I spent this morning at Manna House in midtown Memphis, which offers hospitality, showers, change of clothes, coffee and rest to area homeless persons. After we served coffee, provided...
Repp Ties, Baseball Hats and a Life Well-Lived
Twice each year I get very sentimental about my Daddy; the week of the anniversary of his death and on his birthday, October 4. He died June 13, 1993, after a sudden, completely unexpected massive cerebral hemorrhage. Before that day his health was perfect, he was an...
Seven Ways to Enjoy Your Own Party
In today's economy, more of us are eating in than eating out. This suits me fine, as I love a crowd at the family dinner table — we've been known to squeeze as many as 14 people around our table for six. I enjoy having people in our home, whether it's a Christmas...
Life with Teenagers: Let Go
Being a parent is all about the letting go. Not a new idea. So why after nearly 21 years as a parent do I sometimes still not get it? We had this conversation at my house yesterday afternoon: Sara Ann: Oh, yeah, Mom, I think I forgot to tell you that I almost got...