This is 56
To Be Honest I'm Doing My Best
Ah, 56.
Where did the time go? I have a kid about to attend his ten‑year high school reunion. Another is about to start grad school. I remember counting the days until the youngest one would start school.
Fifty‑five was rough.
Let me revise that.
My fifties have been… yikes.
The Year That Undid Me
Let’s zoom in on 55.
I lost my dog, and that one gutted me. My parents are gone, and yet I wept over that dog longer and harder than I have for any human. The tears felt endless.
Then came the vision decline. My eyes weren’t playing tricks on me—my cataracts were. I waited months for surgeries, months of strain and fear and frustration. Those were some of the hardest months I’ve ever known.
And in the middle of all that, I wrote and released the third book in my Surrendering Hearts series, Building Hearts, and my first novella in the Dogwood Creek Matchmakers series, Clean Sweep.
But once the surgeries were done, everything changed. The world brightened. I realized how much of my daily life had been shaped by low vision. I’ve literally had to relearn how to walk.
A New Church, A New Season
Another big shift: leaving the church we’d been part of for 21 years. The only church we’d known since moving to Ohio. It was all God, and it was not easy.
We miss the people, but I start 56 with no regrets.
We’re now at a church that checks every God‑box for us as a couple, as individuals, and as a family. We live a mile away. We completed classes. I went to a luncheon. I signed up for events. My husband and daughter started serving. It’s wild. Hard. Beautiful.
Life at 56: Dogs, Words, and Slippers
I’m still a dog mom—Milo, the reactive beagle mix, and Bluey, the sweet, ditzy Goldendoodle. My life is dog hair and allergies.
It’s writing. I’ll finish my Dogwood Creek Matchmakers work in September with Autumn’s Grace. Then comes Reframing Hearts, James’ story in the Surrendering Hearts series. I’m in my writing-and-reading era.
And then there’s marketing. At 56, I don’t want to be bothered. My husband is ten years older, and I mocked him so badly when he wore slippers in his 50s. Now? I apologized. I want slippers all the time. What I don’t want is to spend my days editing videos, fixing lighting, or learning trends.
I just want people to buy my books, be encouraged, and move God’s Kingdom forward.
But if people don’t know about them, that can’t happen. So I started making TikToks—gray hair, barking dogs, basic takes, and all. And people are reaching out.
My newsletter has a new provider and a new look. I might only have a handful of subscribers, but if we’re connected? WIN. New subscribers get my free short‑story prequel, Becoming Hearts. It’s a perfect way to meet my favorite fictional family.
Taking Care of My Body, Too
One of my biggest accomplishments at 55 was reaching out to a nutritionist. I have stubborn insulin resistance, and post‑menopausal life has been brutal. My bone density scan threw some yellow flags.
Since that first meeting, I’ve tried new foods—chia pudding, edamame, lentil pasta. I’ve dramatically increased my protein and fiber. I’ve learned how to eat carbs without slipping back into 90s Atkins thinking.
The results aren’t dramatic, but I see them. I did have a med switch (thanks, insurance), so this month has been rough, but when I’m firing on all cylinders, I drink water, lift weights, and use resistance bands.
What 56 Holds
Fifty‑six feels promising.
It’s our 30th wedding anniversary. The Lord has whispered a couple of things to me that I’m holding close. I’m not rushing into anything. This is a season of rest, preparation, healing, and writing.
And I know this: each year I can laugh at my life without insecurity. The graphic for this post? A screenshot from a reel my social media insists on showing off. I could cry… or I could think it’s hilarious.
That face is me. Awkward. Goofy. Doing my best.
Hello, 56.