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
The Waiting
This is the toughest part of the cancer thing. The waiting. Waiting for surgery. Waiting for another scan (a PET scan, the one after which I'll be radioactive) in two days, waiting to know about treatment. I'd like to say I'm waiting patiently, but that would be a...
Homeless
I usually avoid these neighborhoods. This day was different. My 16-year-old daughter, Sara Ann, five of her friends and I were in Atlanta for a church youth weekend. We left the church to get out into the city and learn about poverty and homelessness. Our first stop...
Mercy
Yesterday was not my best day behind the wheel; I made two really stupid driving mistakes in the course of about an hour. I wasn't on the phone at the time, had consumed no alcohol; these was just stupid errors, the kind we all make from time to time when our minds...
50
Today is my 50th birthday. Not only do I not care who knows, I'm proud to be 50. Here are the things I'm proud of: Two days shy of 22 years of marriage. That ain't easy. You don't know someone until you share a toothpaste tube, and you don't really know them until...
Guest Blog Post: Invisible Children
My very first guest blogger is my 16-year-old daughter, Sara Ann. She wrote this article for her school newspaper about a cause that is very close to her heart. The Price of Peace “If the greatest generation sacrificed for war, what will our generation be known for if...
Letting Go
It's so hard to let go. I thought I had mastered it after Elizabeth, 20, left for college, which left Sara Ann, 16, as our only child at home. I was her primary mode of transportation and it made for some valuable one-on-one time in the car that I came to treasure....
Life With Teenagers: The Hills I’m Not Gonna Die On: Part Two
In this post I began this discussion of the hill I refuse to die on. This is the rest of the list. Noise Teenagers are loud. As long as they are inside my house and not disturbing my neighbors, I don’t care how loud they are — I’m just glad they are safe at my house....
Life with Teenagers: The Hills I’m Not Gonna Die On: Part One
Life with teenagers requires some flexibility. No, as the parent you really don't have to bend, but if you're wise, you'll figure out which things are deal breakers and which are not. Fighting with your teen over minor issues will ruin both your lives. Is that really...
Mother’s Day X 20
This photo of my girls was taken in 1992. This past Sunday, Mother's Day, I celebrated my 20th anniversary of motherhood. It began about this time of year in 1988 — my first pregnancy. While lying on the couch one afternoon, I felt a strange fluttering in my abdomen,...
Strollers to Car Keys: Already?
This photo was taken in the summer of 1994, when my girls were two and five-and-a-half. They are now 16 and 19. Time flies. About 19 years ago I read a magazine article that talked about how we often wish our children's lives away. I can't wait until the first...
Defeat?
Last week my daughter's varsity cheer squad competed in a national competition. They are a highly-talented and experienced group with the potential to win or at least place very high in the competition. Unfortunately, Murphy's Law ruled and they placed a miserable...
Why I Still Hate to Fly …
I overheard this conversation between the pilot and the flight attendant, after landing in Atlanta enroute to Memphis. They were standing right outside the cockpit door as passengers were leaving the plane. Flight Attendant: Was that a good landing? Pilot: yeah Flight...
A Corny Arkansas Christmas
I am unabashedly corny at Christmas. I like baking Christmas cookies and cutting them into shapes before decorating them with way too much red and green icing. I enjoy the old traditional Christmas carols and know almost every stanza of each one. My favorite ornaments...
The Wisdom of 49
Today is my 49th birthday. I can't help but feel just a bit nostalgic for the days when I didn't need glasses, had pretty good short-term memory and could sleep until noon without waking up with a sore neck and a tension headache. I notice the lines on my face, spend...
I Miss Christmas Shopping
I miss (in no particular order): • the spying I used to do so that I could surprise my loved ones with exactly what they wanted without having to ask them• the Excel spreadsheet I would make with thoughtful gift ideas and budget estimates• coming home and showing...
First Week in October, Part 3
One of the last photos taken of my Dad; Jim took it in the backyard of the house I grew up in, probably in late May 1993; they were cooking on the grill, which is why the dishtowel is slung over his shoulder. The most important thing my Daddy taught me: grace The...
First Week in October, Part 2
This is my Daddy giving me my diploma at my high school graduation. He was president of the school board at that time and it just worked out so he could do that. And, yes, I know my hair is bad and that the white sandals are very bad, especially with the tan...
The First Week in October, Part 1
The first week in October is always hard. My dad's birthday was October 4 and it always makes me feel a little blue, though this is Daddy's 15th birthday in Heaven. He loved my daughters deeply and cherished his time with them. They are now 15 and 19, yet his earthly...
Sisters
My girls, left, in 1992 (Sara Ann was one day old) and, right, on Mother's Day 2007 My two girls have always been very close. They are three-and-a-half years apart in age, four grades apart in school, which works out marvelously where college is concerned. I resolved...