Author: Vikki Lynn Sorensen

By day, I work a fulltime job in corporate America. By night, I'm a fulltime couch potato. I love to read, write, embroider, crochet and watch British mysteries. When I do leave the house, it's to either go to church or to buy yarn and books. I'm a firm believer that buying books and buying yarn are hobbies on their own. I'm also the single mom (happily divorced for more than 15 glorious years) of two fabulous young women, rescue mom of one dog and rescue grandma to one black cat. My older daughter, Shelby is high-functioning autistic and an avid gamer. My younger daughter, Emilie, is married and lives with her husband about three hours away from me and is an avid baker. Both love Jesus fiercely and in their own way.

Moments and Musings

Hello, 55!

Posted on October 9, 2023October 28, 2024 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Today is my birthday and I’m turning 55 years old.

It looks different than I thought it would look. My mother isn’t here to celebrate with me and my younger daughter is married now and lives three hours away. However, I’m very excited about this particular birthday as I’m now in the pre-stages of senior citizen-hood and I’m looking forward it. I know most people don’t like getting older. However, I’m a firm believer in embracing each year. I run up to it, hug it tightly, welcome it in and offer it some tea. I like to make each year feel right at home.

In the spirit of my birthday, allow a moment of self-indulgence as I list 55 things I’ve learned and discovered over the last 55 years of my life:

Jesus first. Always, Jesus first. Without Jesus, nothing works.
Make your plans and dream your dreams but then give them over to God. He will add His love and perfection to each one and give it back to you more beautiful than you ever imagined.
Life is better with dog.
Sometimes, you need time to sit in silence and just breathe.
Grief is lifelong. Although, its waves aren’t always as powerful as they are in the beginning.
Call people. Stop using apps to stay in touch. (I’m still learning this one.)
Tears are release and healing. Sometimes, I make time for them. When I don’t, they seem to make time for me.
A good ghost story is always a good thing!
There aren’t enough good ghost stories.
Blue is the best color in the world, followed closely by green.
Pray early for your kids spouses. And pray often.
The world may tell you God needs to change with the times but God is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He never changes. He doesn’t have to.
The best steak is filet mignon and the best way to eat it is medium well.
You can eat anything you want. You just need to watch the portion.
A good walk or a good bike ride is the best physical stress reliever.
A good talk with The Father is the best emotional stress reliever.
A home should have many many blankets.
The British write the best mysteries.
It’s ok to speak the Truth. But it’s not only to be unloving.
I fully plan to be the woman known for cycling through the neighborhood on her bike with flowers in her basket and a straw hat on her head.
Take heart, God is in the midst of it all and He knows the way out.
Crochet is life. Also, I don’t know how to knit.
Embroidery is secondary to crochet. Because I still don’t know how to knit.
It’s better to excel at one or two things than to be mediocre at a lot of things.
I always looked forward to life in a 55+ community.
Moving in with my 2 older sisters means I’ll be living in my own 55+ community. LOL
Fresca is the best soda.
Tea should be a staple in every home.
Coffee should be a staple in every home.
Chocolate should be a staple in every home.
I’ll never understand people who don’t like ice cream.
Hot chocolate should always be topped with whipped cream and cinnamon.
Christmas is the best holiday ever.
We should always make friends with crows. They remember and will bring you stuff.
There’s nothing wrong with counting down to special days.
The next season will always be better than your current one.
Never rush through your current season.
Menopause will make your feel like you’re going crazy. Take heart, dear lady, you are!
Being the youngest in the family doesn’t mean I’m privileged or spoiled; it means I have others to look up to and learn from.
Always spend time with your family.
It’s an honor and a privileged to hold a loved one’s hand while they go home to Jesus.
Funerals and weddings either bring out the very best in people or the very worst.
The world is unkind. Don’t be like the world.
You don’t need to make a difference in the world as a whole; just start with your world right where you’re at.
Prayer isn’t always a labored thing. Sometimes, it’s a moment by moment quiet conversation with God.
The inner voice speaking encouragement and direction to you most likely is the Holy Spirit.
I don’t believe in mean dogs; only mean people who make dogs mean.
Cats are like teenagers.
I believe there’s no perfection to be found in being creative. That’s why I create; to tame my perfectionist ways. Also, so I won’t eat too much ice cream.
I will miss my mother for the rest of the my life. 49 years with her wasn’t long enough.
I look forward to being a grandma someday.
Laughter truly is contagious. One should laugh every day.
You don’t need a big house to be happy. Comfort and contentment can be found in the smallest of spaces.
In any loving home, there’s always room for one more.
Everyone should have cake and ice cream on their birthday.

Happy Birthday to me!

Photo by Robert Anderson on Unsplash

Moments and Musings

Apartment Life vs House Life

Posted on October 3, 2023October 28, 2024 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

This time next year, I will be happily moved out of my apartment and into my forever house – or what I hope will be my forever home. At almost 55 years old, I sincerely hope the next move will be the last one.

The last time I lived in a single family home, it was 2006. Since then, I spent 12 years in a townhome and the last 4 years in an apartment. So I’m looking forward to single family home life.

I admit, there are things I love about apartment life. Things I’ll always love. Like the low maintenance. Should something, like the AC unit or the dishwasher break, I call someone. There’s no stressing about how to pay for it all. There’s also a sense of community. At least there is where I live. Everyone looks out for each other, greets other and helps each other. We meet up in common places like the front foyer to collect our mail, the laundry room and the elevator. We talk about our lives, our kids and our pets. (I live in a very dog friendly building.)

However, there is a down side. Such as lack of privacy. Even though my complex is quiet, not many are. I still hear thumping from above. One step in the hallway and I could tell you what my neighbors are cooking for dinner – an odor that every once in a while invades my home. The building across the way makes me feel like I’m a character in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. And just last week, someone decided to sneak their laundry in with mine. (EW!)

Will I miss it? Perhaps. I love the grounds, the lake and the compactness of it all.

As always, there’s pros and cons of house life. I know there may be times when I may fret a bit over a broken appliance or a roof shingle that’s been dislodged. I know the grass will need to be cut and the snow shoveled which are all things I do not concern myself with now. I’ll still have to park outside (although, it won’t take 2 walks down long hallways and an elevator ride to get to my car). I know a house is a huge expense and when you buy a house, you essentially buy a neighborhood.

Would I choose it over apartment life? Absolutely.

I can’t wait to cut my own grass. And my Pinterest is full of decorating ideas for my bedroom with walls I can actually paint. If I don’t like the floor, I can change it. I can’t wait to decorate for all the holidays. I pray our neighbors are kind, gentle people with whom I can share a cup of sugar or some cookies. I plan on sitting outside on Halloween night, dressed as something fun and passing out candy. I dream of a backyard with a patio/deck that I can sit out in with a hot mug of tea on a crisp autumn morning wrapped up in bathrobe and wearing my birth control glasses. I look forward to long walks throughout my neighborhood.

Most importantly, I cannot wait to share my life with not just my daughter but my two sisters. God help whatever house we get! Four grown women, all very independent, strong-willed and with our own personalities under one roof. I suspect much hilarity, fun, tears, comfort and lots of food.

One last thing you can’t always have in an apartment is a garage. I can’t wait for a garage. My first big purchase will be a bike with a basket on it. I plan on riding throughout the neighborhood with flowers in my basket and straw hat on my head. You know, over my safety helmet.

Less than 300 days to go. Nine more rent payments to go before they morph into mortgage payments. These are the days I look forward to, among so many others. These days will be blessed.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Moments and Musings

The Counting Downs of A Day

Posted on October 2, 2023October 28, 2024 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Today was day full of failure. It’s ok. They happen. My plan was to fall apart as soon as I logged off from work but instead, I decided that it’s just a day. Like many that have passed (and I’ve survived) and like many more to come.

Instead, I took a shower. I took a walk with the dog. I made some dinner (egg and cheese in a tortilla) and had another cup of tea. I drank all my water. And I chose to write down all the good days ahead and how much longer I have to wait for them.

2 more days until my 6 day weekend/staycation. I do this every year around my birthday to relax a bit before the hustle and bustle of the holidays begin.

4 more days until my baby girl, Emilie, comes home for a visit. It will be just a short weekend visit but I’ll get to see her face and hug her neck.

7 more days of being 54 left. I know 55 will be so much better and filled with so much good. There is more!

29 days to Halloween. Probably my least favorite of the October/November/December season but Shelby loves it and the apartment looks so festive.

34 days left of daylight savings time. As someone who regularly suffers from seasonal depression, I’ve decided to face this season head on. Embrace the quiet of it. Let my soul simmer a while.

52 days until Thanksgiving. I always have a vision in my head of what this will look like and each year, it almost never happens that way. It always makes me miss my mother.

83 days until Christmas Eve. With just Shelby and I in the apartment, this is looking to be quiet. Christmas morning will be quiet also. If I’m honest, I enjoy the Christmas season way more than I enjoy Christmas Day.

90 days left of 2023. I know 2024 will bring us a new home but who knows what else and I’m excited for it all.

298 days until we move, at the most. Of course, we hope to move sooner. We shall see. God has that all in His very capable hands.

All in all, from now until the end of the year, there are eight special happenings taking place. And that’s not counting the birthday celebrations.

Like a medicine, the rest of the day is looking up.

Photo by Manasvita S on Unsplash

Moments and Musings

Refilling The Glass

Posted on June 23, 2023May 27, 2025 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

One of my favorite Christmas movies is The Bishop’s Wife. There’s a scene – my mom’s favorite – where Cary Grant’s character, Dudley, counsels Professor Wutheridge (played by Monty Woolley). They’re drinking wine and Wutheridge goes to refill Dudley’s glass (and his own) only to find it already full. During the scene, we see Dudley waive his finger in the background using his angel abilities to refill not only their glasses but the bottle as well.

I was thinking about this on my morning walk with Percy as I saying my ‘good mornings’ to God. (I don’t have super wordy prayers with God anymore unless I’m led by the Spirit. But I do like to have real conversations with Him during the day.) So there I was, walking and thinking about how this is a brand new day and a lovely morning when suddenly, a quote from Anne of Green Gables popped into my head-

“Tomorrow is fresh, with no mistakes in it.” ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery

And I felt a sense of relief and peace. If you’re a Failed Perfectionist, like I am, you’ll know what I’m talking about here. It’s refreshing to learn you get a horde of brand new chances each morning. After all, we probably fell asleep the previous night after using some distraction to keep our brains from highlighting for us all the ways we failed. So waking up to a brand new day feeling like the white board has been wiped clean is pretty important. Then this verse popped into my brain from Lamentations chapter 3, verses 22-23 (ESV):

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

God’s mercy is new every morning. Every morning, there is a fresh batch of undeserved favor available. Without fail.

For someone who is serially hard on herself, I decided to let this run around my brain for a while. I felt the Holy Spirit showing me that, just like Dudley refilled Prof. Wutheridge’s glass over and over, God’s mercy and grace is replenished for us continually. Grace, favor, mercy, love – they never run out. Every time we use a supply of any of these, God instantly refills. And He never waits for morning to do it, either.

I know this might sound simple and contrite to some but God knows me and He knows how I think. I feel like He gives me these examples so my very process-driven brain can fully grasp what his Word is saying is to me. He knows I’m a visual learner and need things to be drilled down for me. He’s aware that lack of understand leads to frustration which leads to giving up.

He knows us perfectionists so well!

Think about this as you go into your weekend. Think about this as you wake up tomorrow morning. There’s brand new, shiny, unused mercy ready for you and it is more than enough for your day. It will never run out. It will never grow stale. You will never reach the bottom of the glass or the bottle. They will always be refilled.

He is a God of more than enough.

Moments and Musings

Doubting Thomas

Posted on June 22, 2023May 27, 2025 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Our story begins in John 20: 24-27 NLT

One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

I remember as a child reading these verses in school and thinking how bad Thomas was for not believing. Actually, that’s how it was taught to me. The nuns would stand over us with their pointer sticks telling us not to be anything like “Doubting Thomas” or else…..

So, I judged Thomas, just as I was taught to do, for his imperfections. I boasted within myself saying, “I wouldn’t have acted like that. I’d have been better. Done better. Acted better.” I spent years sitting on my self-righteous throne, tarnished crown on my head wondering if we’ll meet Thomas in Heaven someday.

But I wasn’t there over 2000 years ago. I didn’t see the one I called Teacher and Messiah die a violent and cruel death. I don’t know what it’s like to walk away from that experience filled with fear and doubt, possibly running and hiding for my life. I don’t know the confusion of seeing him alive only 8 days later.

I’ve been studying this recently and found myself focusing more on Jesus’ reaction to Thomas’s doubts. Jesus didn’t judge Thomas. He wasn’t mad. He wasn’t disappointed. He wasn’t discouraged. Others in that room might have. And I sure did for a very long time.

Jesus didn’t. He loved him. And I imagine Jesus knew Thomas would give him the side-eye treatment. It was no surprise to Him so He was prepared. He responded as a only a Savior would – excited for Thomas to believe and wanting him to know beyond all knowing, deep in his heart of hearts, that Jesus was real and He was alive.

So, unlike how I was taught, when Jesus tells Thomas to feel his hands, feet and side, it wasn’t an admonishment; it was an invitation. Full of love. Full of forgiveness. Full of faith enough to cover Thomas’s unbelief.

I believe Jesus was so full of joy that He welcomed showing Himself to Thomas. And He was thrilled when Thomas accepted His invitation and believed.

What a wonderful, loving, faithful Savior we have!

Photo by Jackson David via Unsplash