Sara's Shorts

The door had disintegrated like a mini version of the 9-11 twin towers before our eyes -- though too fast to see. Would the second "tower" also fall?

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2023/04/04/when-fear-threatens-remembering-gods-goodness-can-give-you-courage/

The YouTube videos made it look like an easy DIY project. I managed to make framing our bathroom mirrors difficult. A reflection of me?

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2023/03/21/the-one-thing-i-needed-to-guarantee-my-diy-project-succeeded/

It's Valentine's Day and I'm writing about a Christmas long ago. Why? Because it's all about the love. This wasn't a throwback post -- although I'm late to put it into podcast form -- but it does take us back to the year my first biological child was born, as well as capture where we are as a family today. Super special peek into the Dagen household -- as well as the household of God. Be blessed.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2023/02/14/we-love-him-because-he-loved-us-first-and-most/

It's ironic that my husband's quick -- somewhat embarrassing -- fix for our caving ceiling wasn't so far from the ultimate FIX.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2023/01/31/who-wouldnt-want-a-pole-in-her-bedroom/

It was a series of uncomfortable steps in my healing after carpal tunnel release surgery --  this reduction and eventual removal of the bandages protecting my wound. And, yet, it was exactly what my body needed. 

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/12/20/the-uncomfortable-step-to-healing-you-likely-didnt-consider/

This is a throwback to April 18, 2012, when my youngest two children, my husband and I joined my mother-in-love for spring break without my father-in-love. It's difficult to return to a favorite spot you'd always shared with someone you loved but is gone. But this year we returned to the river -- and the missing was good.

 This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2012/04/18/return-to-the-river/

This is a throwback post to April 14, 2012. When I taught middle and high school students, I warned them that their online posts were there forever -- but I didn't realize they could also disappear.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2012/04/14/without-a-trace/

Jefferson Starship had it right, "Sara, Sara, no time is a good time for goodbyes..." But Tori, our cat, made the time as 'good' as she could.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/11/02/her-death-was-a-good-one-but-we-werent-ready-to-say-goodbye/

The month of October always causes me to pause and remember Bill. This year, I was able to see God's kindness in the midst of tragedy. (I published this post about my first husband's death on October 29, 2022. It just took me a week to get the podcast completed.)

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/10/29/i-looked-back-at-sorrow-and-found-gods-kind-surprise/

As if on autopilot, I responded to the question the same way I did months ago before I had training and knew better, so much better. Why was my brain stuck on the old script? How could I make it play the new one? This is what I learned.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/10/05/is-your-brain-stuck-on-an-old-script-heres-how-to-embrace-change/

When you have to bite the bullet and purchase a new cell phone, your attempt to save money may lead to troubles you hadn't intended...

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/08/23/i-failed-but-you-can-save-money-and-skip-these-10-troubles/

This is a throwback to July 7, 2019, a post I wrote after giving the eulogy for my mother at her memorial service. In it I do share the eulogy I gave, but I also reflect on the final "shade of death" from Alzheimer's as joyous for believers in Jesus.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2019/07/07/the-final-shade-of-death-she-doesnt-have-alzheimers-anymore/

When we're tempted to look back instead of move forward or fear failing instead of pursuing progress, we must choose to do this instead. Conquer perfectionism.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/08/18/how-to-conquer-perfectionism-granted-my-advice-might-not-be-perfect/

This podcast is a throwback to May 29, 2019, two days after my mother died -- from Alzheimer's disease, if that's considered a cause of death. I called it "shades of death" because of the incremental mini-deaths leading up to the grand finale. All painful. All a great loss. Each one with a finality of its own luring me into the false sense of security that I was done grieving. I never was. And yet with this final shade of death, I knew my mother had gained more than this life can give. God is good.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2019/05/29/shades-of-death-when-you-lose-a-loved-one-to-alzheimers-disease/

This podcast is a throwback to April 4, 2012, when my seniors were completing their requirements for graduation, namely, their Capstone Projects, which had haunted them the past six months. (And haunted me, too, if I were completely honest.) On this day, six students were presenting their projects to a large audience -- and a group of judges. But I found watching them, I was able to grade myself, too.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2012/04/04/superfluous/

This episode is a throwback to April 3, 2022, when I was a college student -- and a full-time teacher, wife, and mother -- taking online classes for my master's degree. Lalla was someone I'd gotten to know in my online classes. We finally met in person, and it reminded me how much we can look forward to seeing God one day.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2012/04/03/finally-f2f/

This podcast is a throwback to April 2, 2012, when Charlie Sheen still had the notoriety to capture attention and my son was playing high school baseball. As I suggest in this podcast, the definition of winning is much broader than the number on a visible or unseen scoreboard. What's more, Charlie Sheen is NOT the epitome of the term. 

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2012/04/02/feel-good-baseball/

If you feel like a failure though you're giving it your all, these five spiritual truths will encourage your heart and direct your steps.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/07/05/5-truths-to-encourage-you-if-youre-feeling-like-a-failure/

This is a throwback to March 31, 2012. In this post, the sound of thunder and the smell of rain coming through the open windows lure me to stop the work and sit. There I sat and enjoyed memories of other splurges; this one all the more special because I did.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2012/03/31/power-splurge/

You'd think by the time you're old enough to be a grandparent that you'd have this lesson engraved in your brain. Not so much. Why do we struggle?

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/06/28/the-lesson-i-learned-from-wrapping-a-gift-too-creatively/

This is a throwback to March 25, 2012. In this post, written shortly after the death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, I explore the role fashion played in his death. The young man was wearing a hoodie on a chilly, wet evening when he was shot by a self-appointed neighborhood watchman. 

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2012/03/25/hoodie-hoodlum/

This is a throwback to March 24, 2012. My youngest son was still playing baseball (at times frustrating), and my only daughter was newly married and speaking truth into my life. But, as she shared, sometimes truth doesn't need to be spoken in the moment. Maybe it needs to be spoken after the moment -- and our anger or frustration -- has passed. It is something to consider.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2012/03/24/just-being-honest/

Today's podcast is an answer to Elle, a friend who has joined me in a topical Bible study. She's asked me a list of questions I'm trying to answer using Scripture. Some of those studies will become blogs and podcasts. Elle and I are married to believers, but the way we pursue God looks completely different from how they do. It seems we don't share the same faith because we don't practice it the same way. Maybe you can relate? Here's what to do if you find yourself in that situation.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/06/14/if-your-spouse-doesnt-share-your-faith-what-do-you-do/

Throwback to March 17, 2012, when my youngest son Adam was playing varsity baseball and my only daughter Laura was newly married. I was playing schoolteacher, mom, baseball team chauffeur, and score keeper -- and, as it happens, the biographer, capturing in the written word what we experienced this Freaky Friday on and off the field. Anything can happen in baseball, it seems, and on the road to and from the games. Enjoy this #ThrowbackThursday.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2012/03/17/freaky-friday/

It was the one rose that remained of the exquisite bouquet my husband had given me, but it was enough to impart the message. This new podcast is short, sweet, and inspirational -- for those of us who are aging, anyway (which is everyone, of course). Reminiscent of Dylan Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," but less poetic, less direct, and more direct at the same time. 

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/06/07/this-is-how-i-want-to-age-well/

This was a post I spoke into my phone's Otter.ai app as I walked the beach on my last day of vacation. Sunrises on the East Coast of Florida offer a unique beauty and time for me to interact with the God who created it, but this morning was filled with distractions, namely trash and more trash. Hence, this blog and resulting podcast. I plan to be part of the solution. How about you?

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/05/29/this-is-why-we-should-leave-it-better-than-we-found-it/

Why do you do the things you do? Are you hoping for "likes" or applause or just some appreciation for your effort? I was -- until I was reminded I should do this. Maybe this message will encourage you, too. 

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/05/24/when-it-seems-that-nothing-you-do-matters-know-this/

God can use simple — and beautiful — experiences to impart inspiration and life lessons. Today, I had that privilege. I hope it touches you, too.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/05/19/if-youre-wondering-how-god-could-use-you-maybe-this-will-help/

My post-traumatic stress disorder, diagnosed after my first husband Bill’s death, made me fear what Satan would drop into my life to strangle me, to make me pay for my complete surrender to God. This is my account of how PTSD impacted my life. You don't have to be in the military to experience this serious disorder; I hope my story gives you hope. 

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/05/10/experience-or-witness-trauma-ptsd-could-happen-to-you-too/

Ironically, I'm publishing this on a rare day when I didn't go to the gym, but Connie is good with that. I'm sick, and she wants nothing to do with whatever virus I'm fighting at the moment. (I don't either, but I don't seem to have a choice -- other than not to share it.) Connie became a close friend because of our shared love for step aerobics and aqua Zumba but remained a close friend even after those classes disappeared from the gym's schedule. Would I be as faithful at the gym without Connie? Probably. I went without her for a year due to the pandemic. But am I happier at the gym WITH Connie? Absolutely! I recommend you get your own Connie if you can! 

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/04/26/the-most-important-fabric-of-my-gym-life-is-made-of-yarn/

It was an"eggsiting" day at the Dagens house on Easter, time for the annual egg hunt. We were determined that this egg hunt would be joyful and equal -- and tear-free. But would we get to that result? And what means would we use to get there? That is the story! 

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/04/22/who-knew-their-hunt-for-eggs-could-have-eternal-significance/

This is a throwback to Easter Sunday 2020, when we were in lockdown mode, unable to go to church or even gather as families. It proved a time of reflection for me, and my mind went back to two T-shirts in my past and one my daughter was wearing at Easter. Their message, combined, tells the whole Gospel story, the reason why Easter is so significant. Today I changed the title from "This Easter, Why Not Become a 'Whosoever'?" to "These 3 T-Shirts Tell the Story of Easter Past and Present." Past because Jesus accomplished the T-shirt message in the past -- for us. Present because becoming a whosoever could be your choice today. Happy Easter, my friends! 

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2020/04/12/this-easter-why-not-become-a-whosoever/

When I was a young girl, my mother was a reporter for the local newspaper and some local magazines. In that role, she often took me and my older sister along for interviews, when that interview would include a tour or activity she knew would interest us. And so I saw my mother on the job -- and the damage she could wield with a pen. Recently, I found I could do that, too, and so begins my reflection of my mom.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/04/12/out-of-all-the-memories-i-could-keep-this-was-the-one/

Today's episode takes us back to 2020, when COVID-19 was the great unknown that made us wear masks that kept us unknown to others. (It was also the year when I got bags under my eyes and serious crow's feet -- just in time to showcase everything above my mask. Yay!) This was when I switched hairstylists and just wanted to show my face -- once -- to get an appropriate haircut. Two years later... the big reveal did not give me the results I expected. That's all.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/04/05/ill-hide-my-face-and-let-you-guess-my-best-hair-style/

Today's episode is about my purple toe, which reminds me that we need all our body parts healthy and whole and working  -- and we need to follow God's instructions first and foremost. Why is my toe purple? Well, that IS the question, isn't it? I guess you have no choice but to listen.  

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/03/29/even-a-purple-pinky-toe-can-teach-you-a-life-lesson/

Today's podcast is one of those "do I dare publish this?" It was longer than I wanted. It touched on a hot topic politically, which I always try to avoid. But the hot spot in my heart said, "Yes, dare to publish because this is right." So here it is, my take on Christian Privilege. The short story -- because this is Sara's Shorts, right? -- is that being a Christian IS a privilege and, truly, the more the merrier. I hope you're enjoying this privilege too. Thank you for listening!

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/03/16/may-i-put-my-positive-spin-on-christian-privilege/

Today's podcast reflects on a pivotal moment in my youth -- one I had accepted without much wonder as a teen but now fills my heart with gladness. I hope it touches your heart too. 

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/03/09/ping-pong-and-purpose-softened-my-heart-for-jesus/

It was a simple thing: hello. Yet it has made a world of difference. This story from the gym encourages me to initiate a conversation with that little word, even when I'm wishing someone would say it to me first. I can already imagine myself in my next networking event, breaking the ice with hello. Speaking of it, hello to you, dear listener! Thank you for taking the time to listen. 

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/03/01/you-might-have-had-me-at-hello-except-you-never-said-it/

Sometimes God's lessons are so easy a cat can teach them! In today's podcast, I share how my cat models behaviors I should do. (Better sharpen my nails! Just kidding.) 

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/02/16/my-cat-understands-the-power-and-blessing-of-her-masters-hand/

Yes, me! (I am your favorite blogger, right?) I've jumped into podcasting -- clearly. Here's the story of why and how my first podcast was received -- by one faithful friend, anyway. Thanks for joining me here as I learn and, I hope, get better at this form of communication. Feel free to message me, reach out on social media, or comment on my blog. I'd love to know how I can improve and make this podcast a part of your routine. 

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2022/02/08/what-more-could-you-want-than-text-and-audio-from-your-favorite-blogger/

Throwback: My first blog post, circa January 2012. I started writing a blog at the encouragement of my classmates in grad school. At the time, I was teaching full-time, had a few children still living at home, and was frustrated by the futility of cleaning my kitchen. Ten years later -- after a full decade of blogging, a change of career from teaching to communications, and the emptying of my nest -- the call of duty (and the kitchen of work) remain. Perhaps you can relate? 

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://saradagen.com/2012/01/22/hello-world/

I don't handle criticism well. I aim to be perfect so I avoid criticism. I aim to be perfect; I don't reach perfection. Which God knows. And (oh, my wounded pride) so does my husband.