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
What I’ve Learned About Caregiving
Above: Mom with several of her nine grandchildren Since December of 2021, I’ve been a full-time caregiver for my mom, 87, who suffered a stroke in November 2021. I’ve learned a few things about caregiving — and am still learning — so I thought I’d share some things...
What Weird Times These Are
Oh, boy. Please, 2022, be better than (at least the last part of) 2021. I'm looking back over the past month or so and thinking that if I tried to write it as a story, any decent editor would reject it as far too improbable. Here's a (not so) quick timeline: November...
Home for the Holidays
For 40 years, the holidays started for me the week before Thanksgiving. It was a short work week, and I'd start packing on Monday for my one-and-a-half-hour trip to Jonesboro, Arkansas from Memphis. I couldn't wait to get in the car and drive over one of Memphis' two...
Charlie
It's 2008. Me, to my 16-year-old daughter, broken hearted after the end of a friendship: Sweetheart, I'm so sorry you're hurting. What do you think would make it better? I expected to hear "cookies," or "a sweet tea from McAllister's," or even "a new top." Instead she...
House
I grew up in a house that was built in 1902, on a tree-lined block in an older neighborhood in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
What I Hate (And Love) About Halloween
Curmudgeon alert: I hate Halloween. I always have. No, I was never traumatized by a goblin on Halloween, I just don't like scary things. I don't like scary movies, books, or TV shows. I don't like the dark. I don't like rides that make me feel as if I could be risking...
Goodbye, House
Yesterday was happy/sad. Happy/sad because we closed on the sale of the house we lived in for 28 years. Where we raised our two girls and a few dogs along the way. The kitchen in which I made approximately 2160 peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches for school lunches....
How We Use the Paprika App to Plan Meals
We’re empty nesters and we use the Paprika app on Mac and iOS to plan our weekly meals and keep track of recipes we like and want to repeat.
Moving: Final Phase
They are pretty darned, cute, no? You know how sometimes you are in the middle of something stressful and you focus on one little, tiny thing? Yeah, that. So I splurged on new shower curtains and those cute little rings that hold them up. You can get some really cool...
Change: A Catalyst for Blessings
Jim, my husband of 32 years and I are about to start an adventure. Along with our two dogs, and about half of 28 years' worth of accumulated crap, we're moving to Jonesboro, Arkansas at the end of July. We've rented a small house — and when I say small, it's half the...
Fish: Phase Two
Today we finished what we’re calling Phase Two of our betta fish tank project. We’re not experts, but we managed to get the filter set up, the tank filled, water tested, and decorations added.
Fish: Phase One
We’re setting up a betta fish tank. Come with us as we figure out what we’re doing.
That Time I Talked to Art Garfunkel
And I Did Not Cry Last night I spoke to Art Garfunkel. Now, this was not a private conversation. In fact, about 500 people (by Jim's estimation) bore witness. We were given a generous and special gift from my sister and brother-in-law, which included tickets to an...
How Not to Be a Jerk When a Friend is Grieving
Warning: I'm only a month out from loss and I'm still raw. So this post is pretty unvarnished, and maybe a little angry. That's where I am. Please read with that understanding. You've just lost a loved one. You're in shock, reeling, and numb. Just to put one foot in...
How to Honor Older Relatives Who Have Hearing Loss
At my age (I'm a proud 57), I and many of my contemporaries are dealing with aging parents. With age comes hearing loss, and, although I haven't practiced audiology (MA in audiology, University of Memphis, 1984) in 22 years*, I do still remember a thing or two about...
I Miss Him in The Summertime
I miss him a lot in the summertime. Baseball season. Busch Stadium II. The Bottlecap. Baseball Heaven. The seats were red and they were so hot in July. Yes, St. Louis is north of Arkansas and Tennessee, they get more snow in the winter, but it gets darned scorching...
Small Miracles, Magnificent Gifts
I've always believed in miracles. I've known some really big ones in my family. Big miracles are like the fireworks on the Fourth of July — they make an instant impression amid the ooohs, and ahhhs, and the jaws that drop. Small miracles are different; they give us...
How Important is Milk, Really?
Musings of a Bad First Grader I attended a Catholic school in first and second grade, a perfectly fine school. However, in Jonesboro, Arkansas at that time it was the only private school, and 99 percent of all of the children went to the public schools in town. They...
8 Things I’ve Always Wanted to Say to Young Pastors
As a life-long churchgoer, mother of two adult daughters (22 and 26) who were raised in church, I share my perspective on young pastors and all pastors who work with young people. Most of the pastors who have influenced my girls have been young. Student pastors are...