https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/BLOG RSSTue, 06 Feb 2024 22:32:41 GMTTue, 06 Feb 2024 22:32:41 GMThttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/at-it-againI’m a Corps Officer, again. I’m in the temporarily “unretired” category. I didn’t expect it, but I welcome it. I needed something to do.It’s only Tuesday, but the Sunday bulletin is finished and ready to print. Men’s Sunday is next week, and the men are leading the service. One of our two retired male officers will be speaking. I’m excited to see what God will do in the service. No kidding, I’m excited to see what God will do through the men. I thank God for the men of the Corps.Last SundayTue, 28 Oct 2025 20:36:03https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/at-it-againhttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/dear-parentsI am “a day late and a dollar short,” as they say. Let me clarify. I am a little late in writing about Mother’s Day. Thoughts of Mother's Day linger in my mind. My Mama had a tough life, and she didn’t get everything right. I thank God for the good things and ask for his help in dealing with the other. Early in my life, when I was seven or eight years old, I created a gift for Mama at school, with the help of a patient teacher. I cleaned the paper from the old baby food jar and filled it withMon, 12 May 2025 14:18:22https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/dear-parentshttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/the-ordinaryDo ordinary people matter? Do I matter?  I am not a politician. I do not make the laws or keep the order. I don’t decide who runs for office or sit among those who do. I am frightened by the discussion regarding President Biden’s health and mind. He is in charge of the bombs. I've never visited Congress or met the Speaker of the House. I’ve not run for public office or put together a petition. I follow what’s happening, and I like to vote, but I don’t like political noise. I will not beWed, 14 Feb 2024 16:08:17https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/the-ordinaryhttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/the-holy-spirit-is-in-the-operating-roomI lie on my stomach on the hard table; fully clothed, with my pants pulled down slightly in the back. Sedated, yes, but I couldn’t tell. The anesthesiologist wore a silver cross and Brook’s running shoes. The cross dangled down the front of his medical garb. Why are operating rooms so cold?  I know there’s a reason, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what it is.I could see the MRI image of my spine on a large black-and-white screen. The screen hung on a gigantic white, metal arm.Wed, 07 Feb 2024 23:25:03https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/the-holy-spirit-is-in-the-operating-roomhttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/yesterdayYesterday was eEaster. All over the world, bells rang, and choirs sang as Christians celebrated the resurrected Christ. My brain is not big enough, broad enough, or quick enough to comprehend it all. Christ conquered death, paying my check and wiping my slate clean. My slate is as clean as a newly washed baby’s face after a chocolate cake on a first birthday. Jesus buried my sin in the deepest blue sea. I believe.Yesterday, I celebrated our Lord’s victory in the deepest parts of my soul. ITue, 06 Feb 2024 20:41:18https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/yesterdayhttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/can-you-see-meGrowing up, my sister and I occasionally sang duets at church. She’d sing the lead, and I’d sing harmony. She could hit the high notes while I, more often than not, occupied the basement, musically speaking. I loved to hear Lorie sing. God gifted her. I’d strum away on my guitar, and we’d sing our hearts. God was in those moments.By the time I went to high school, I’d learned to bang a few chords out on the piano. Mama’d make Lorie and I sing the likes of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” andWed, 16 Nov 2022 04:57:43https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/can-you-see-mehttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/pray-and-danceMesmerized, I sat on the sofa and watched as Mama and Uncle Linwood danced to a vinyl recording of “The Twist” by Chubby Checker. The record popped and crackled as the turntable induced its spinning. I was eight years old, and in our house, the twisting craze persisted far into the seventies. It is a cherished memory from a happy time.How can I be that old? My youngest son is astonished to know that I grew up in such ancient days and that I remember the twist. It feels like yesterday.Mon, 07 Nov 2022 04:20:33https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/pray-and-dancehttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/housecoatIt is 3:00 AM on Saturday. After losing a round of dodgeball to sleep, I got up. I kept trying to hit sleep, and I kept missing. I'm sitting comfortably in my less than stylish short-sleeved grandma robe. It is my favorite grandma robe because it is my only grandma robe. Seriously, who wants more than one grandma robe? This robe has been around the block and would win a gold medal in an Olympic Grandma Wardrobe Contest. I am sure of it. I call it a robe, but it's more like what my Momma usedMon, 23 Aug 2021 23:10:49https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/housecoathttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/press-onI press on.  I went to see my son not too long ago. I cannot tell you which son I went to see. Imagine one of my three sons, if you know them. If you do not know them, imagine your son or the son of another mother. Perhaps I ought not to write about my sons.Let me rephrase.Not long ago, I went to visit a man whom I love. The man may have grown from infancy to adulthood in my care. He may look a little like his father and a little like his mother. He may be more than six feet tall.   On aSat, 06 Feb 2021 06:56:42https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/press-onhttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/unanswerable-questionsThe unanswerable questions, life poses many.How much longer before we know who our President will be?Why am I this tall?Do I resemble my father?Will the pain I’m feeling ever lessen?What is it about a baby’s smile that makes it seem all is right with the world?Where are my shoes?When will dinner be ready?How do you mend a broken heart?Will there be a heart available for transplant?What about the needed liver?Will I pass this test in time to prepare for the next?Will my inlawsSat, 07 Nov 2020 07:29:06https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/unanswerable-questionshttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/william-cahoon-colquhounI grew up in poverty. I know what it means to go without and what it means to make the most of what you have. As a child, I went without shoes in the summer, and beans cooked one night were usually served for two more suppers. My folks worked hard, but there was never quite enough money to go around.Imagine my delight in discovering that my  8th great grandfather was Lord William Cahoon (Colquhoun) of Luss, Scotland. I've learned this only recently. I am descended from a lord.During theSun, 25 Oct 2020 23:36:44https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/william-cahoon-colquhounhttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/lord-i-pray-that-i-may-know-thee-part-i“Lord, I pray that I may know Thee, risen one enthroned on high” (Ruth Tracy).I confess to you that I need the Lord, every hour, I need him. It is the cry of my soul, my deepest yearning. I cannot make it through one day without his presence. I fall to pieces at the thought of his absence. I cannot bear the thought of living in that much darkness.To know him, what does it mean? Is it a matter of learning sound theology? Will a library and good research meet my need? If I go to a universitySat, 24 Oct 2020 05:29:40https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/lord-i-pray-that-i-may-know-thee-part-ihttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/come-to-jesusCome to Jesus, my friend. He is waiting patiently for you.Come with all your baggage.Am I joking?No way--He is the bearer of burdens. He will help carry the load.Come to Jesus, my friend. He is waiting patiently for you.Come with all your brokenness.Am I joking?No way--He is the fixer of souls. He will mend your pieces.Come to Jesus, my friend. He is waiting patiently for you.Come with all your longings.Am I joking?No way.He is the giver of purpose. He is calling your name.Thu, 15 Oct 2020 15:28:33https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/come-to-jesushttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/depressedI live with depression. I try to hide it. I even hide from it. None of that works. I role along and do well for a time. Then, life happens and wham, depression is there, knocking at my door, yet again. It washes over me.   I suspect that my secret has been well known among my friends and family for quite a long time. I have not wanted anyone to know. I have been ashamed. I fear that it is an embarrassment to my family. I worry that it means that I am crazy.Satan uses these thoughts to keepSat, 10 Oct 2020 00:50:16https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/depressedhttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/balanceI do not have terrific balance. I remember trying to do whatever it is that you do on the balance beam. I’d try to put one foot in front of the other. Try as I might; my effort almost always resulted in a fall to the ground. I was not gifted in the least when it came to the balancing beam. I do not know how I kept from breaking my neck. I was young. Maybe my bones were still rubbery.My Uncle Edward used to have me walk with a book on my head. He did not like the sway in my step. He wanted meMon, 21 Sep 2020 04:02:46https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/balancehttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/second-actIt is by necessity that the second act follows the first act. I never saw a play where the first act followed the second act. It does not work that way, not usually. It would be most confusing.How is an audience to understand the second act if they miss the first? Have you ever missed the first part of a play or a movie and spent the entire rest of the play or movie trying to understand the storyline?I am not a playwriter. It must be a fun thing to do. Anyway, it appears to me that theMon, 14 Sep 2020 03:58:01https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/second-acthttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/eye-glassesI went to see the dear, old eye doctor. I secretly hoped for a prescription for new glasses. I was not disappointed. Why did I wish for new glasses? Why did I not wish for a prescription that read “no need for glasses at all?” I never claimed to be the smartest of my Momma’s children. The eyes are changing. The doctor said that over the past two years, I have become much more far-sighted. He was nice and put it to me as kindly as he could. He did not call me old, ancient, or archaic. I amSat, 12 Sep 2020 03:21:44https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/eye-glasseshttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/mask-meWear the mask, people. Save a life. It may be your life that you save.I do not get it. Covid-19 is a real threat. Many thousands have died. It is not over. Scientists and medical professionals are in a frantic race to find a vaccine. Since we do not yet have a vaccine, why do so many people go without the use of a mask? Is wearing a mask all that difficult? I am not speaking to someone who is unable to wear a mask for medical reasons. I am speaking to all the rest of us. Why will we not wearMon, 07 Sep 2020 02:54:47https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/mask-mehttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/hot-dogsTo my son, I said, “Go west, young man and buy hot dog buns.” He came back with two loaves of bread. I said, “Son, we need hot dog buns.” He went back to the store, returning before too long. He dumped three kinds of hot dog buns onto the table. I said, “and the moral of this story is?” He mumbled, “I don’t know, don’t eat hot dogs?” I said, “Priceless is hot dog bun to she who has gone without hotdog bun.”Sat, 05 Sep 2020 05:34:32https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/hot-dogshttps://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/starting-overI got an A.I got an A on the paper that I wrote three times. The first time, I submitted it and later learned that there was a problem with one of my sources. I ended up needing to rework the second half of the paper. It was a mind-bender, but I managed to find the resource that I needed and was able to rewrite the second half of the paper. The rewrite changed the thrust of the paper, but all in all, I was content with my effort. Twice finished, I felt tremendous relief that I was once againMon, 31 Aug 2020 01:03:27https://donnacahoonmcgee.com/home/starting-over