Last year about this time I began talking about "staycations" and how staying home for your vacation can be a very beneficial experience. Just taking some time off to catch up on sleep — in your own, familiar bed — may be benefit enough.

Last year my daughter, Lonni, took a week off to stay home and de-clutter her space. She boxed up items for Goodwill and deep cleaned her entire home. Cleaning may not be your cup of tea for vacation, but for my daughter, it was very relaxing and rewarding to spend a couple days cleaning and the rest just relaxing in an organized environment.

A new trend in vacations has come to my attention. It seems to be the perfect choice for those who have the travel bug and need a change of scenery. Oftentimes it comes with a discount, and every time it comes with a rewarding experience. It's called a "volunteer vacation."

That's right. Organizations currently exist that can plan your entire trip to another town, another state or another country. You can visit amazing places, make new friends and see new cultures while you labor for a good cause. Look up Habitat for Humanity, the American Hiking Society, International Volunteer HQ, PLAY it Forward Adventures or Google "volunteer vacations" to find more opportunities.

Spring Awakening

Do you have spring energy? Have the flowers and birds and sunshine breathed new life into you after a gloomy winter? Do you feel like cleaning, playing, working in the garden, pulling weeds, doing fun projects? Or not so much … maybe you have spring allergies and you'd rather hide in the house behind a tissue, away from the pollen and the dust.

I hope you are able to enjoy the season and the showing of colors in your area and get lots accomplished. My gardens and all the activity on the farm is enough to invigorate me, and get me moving toward one project or another. If you are having some trouble re-energizing this spring, I have a few ideas that never fail to put a smile on my face. Try something new to awaken your spirit …

Let's celebrate spring together. Send me an email to explain how you re-energize this time of year. I would love to share your clever ideas with fellow readers of my daily newsletter. And while you're at it, put in a request or dedication for someone you love.

Pondering Faith at Easter

This is the season of Lent and many people of faith are looking forward to celebrating Easter Sunday. Practicing the rituals of Lent can strengthen your faith but you know what else can do that? Being open and honest with God. Being real, being transparent and being aware that the One who created you loves you the way you are. He cares about the intimate details of your life, every moment of your life.

I was talking with a friend of mine who was sick and I said I would pray for him to feel better. He replied, "God's got better things to do than worry about my cold." God is our father … He worries about our colds as any good father would. The cool thing about God is He is everywhere and He is capable of working on all things, from big to small.

I can't imagine what it would be like to live in these times if I didn't have my faith. If I didn't know that God has a plan for me, for my family and those that I love. I couldn't face the day if I didn't know that to be true. I know every stinking day I wake up I'm going to have blessings in my life. My children, their smiles, my grandkids, their laughter, challenges and opportunities…

If you're feeling overwhelmed by the world tonight, God has a plan for you. It may not look like it right now but He does. No matter what you're going thru there is a reason you're going thru it. Walk by faith. Count your blessings. Keep praying.

What a wonderful recipe to share with children while teaching them the story of the resurrection. These cookies are made the evening before Easter Sunday and cooked in a warm oven overnight so they will be ready in the morning.

Building Healthy Habits

A few of the girls on my staff are invested in a month-long competition to see who can lose the most weight. I wasn't able to coax any specifics from the girls about their progress but I have heard they are gaining… a valuable lesson in willpower and restraint. It's not easy to diet, I know! Even just a pound or two shed is cause for major celebration! And by celebration I don't mean indulging in a big, thick piece of chocolate cake. That's where the willpower and restraint come in handy.

What the girls did share with me were tips they find to be working so far. And since many of you listeners have emailed your tips I thought I would share a few here:

If you've got a tip for the girls in my studio, I (they) would love to read them. Send an email to D@Delilah.com and tell us what's working for you!

Moooved to Paint

I can't believe March is already here. You know what I did to welcome the first weekend in March? I stayed home. That's right, I barely left the house. I had my kids, friends of my kids and four of my grandkids over. We sort of took it easy — as easy as we can with a houseful of kids — and just hung around the house.

I painted this past weekend, which is another reason I stayed home. I get so lost in my art that time just seems to slip by without me noticing. I have a new cow named Gypsy who was the inspiration behind my artwork this weekend. I've churned so much Gypsy butter, I'm starting to dream about it! And paint about it, as you can see.

I love to paint. I love to do anything creative. I love to do any arts and crafts project that involves making a mess! And I like to paint in my kitchen of all places. So my kitchen island which was designed, built and installed so I could do a lot of cooking was taken over by the easel, the brushes and the acrylics this weekend.

I hope if you like to do creative things you give yourself time to do them. Set aside time in your busy world to be able to create. The more I create, whether it's painting or sculpting or writing, the more I'm in touch with myself, my heart, my soul and my Creator. And because of that, the better I am at everything else I do.

My Time in Buduburam

By Monday afternoon, I was making the 50-mile drive from the city to the Buduburam Refugee Camp. My foundation, Point Hope, has been working there for five years, designing education and nutrition programs for the residents.

After meeting with the camp commandant and the social welfare officer, who filled me in on current events in the camp, I hurried to the children's ward of the medical clinic. My heart aches all year long to hold those children in my arms again, and pray for their health and well-being. As painful as it is to witness a child who is starving or dying from disease, I weep with praise to God when one gets delivered to our clinic so that we might save them in time.

Shortly thereafter, I had the pleasure of introducing a 1-year-old baby boy to one of my producers, Leisa, who is in the process of legally adopting him. The tearful and emotional meeting of mother and child, accompanied by his biological mother who is giving him for adoption, was a blessed event. Leisa may not have birthed her son, but the two are meant to be together.

Throughout the day I continued to visit with people as I strolled thru the dusty streets of the camp. Kind and loving folks, they greeted me with warm smiles and huge hugs and introduced me to their loved ones. One woman introduced me to her newborn daughter, Delilah. I was able to visit with the mother while coddling my namesake, and I delivered some clothes and blankets that little Delilah very much needed.

I ended the day by examining the fetching stations where fresh water is now available. I witnessed hundreds of residents filling large buckets of clean, disease-free water for their families. Having seen the before when there was nothing but toxic streams to drink and bathe from, it was an awesome sight to behold and I was literally speechless as I drank it in.

On Tuesday, I spent some time walking what I could of the 125 acre camp to see each and every fetching station and take in some of the positive feedback from the residents. As I wandered about, I began distributing clothes and supplies from the nine suitcases I filled prior to my trip. I dispersed the 525 pounds of goods to various individuals in the camp who could use them. That night, I visited a family friend in Accra who has transformed her life from refugee status to mother-student-homemaker after lots of hard work and help from neighbors.

I spent Wednesday at the camp again, and witnessed several Point Hope programs in process. I toured a vocational school where women learn to make fabrics. I checked out the nutrition center where children are given regular, healthy meals when their families cannot provide for them. I had a meeting with officials representing the medical clinic and a non-profit organization that provides nurses and a doctor to the clinic. We assessed the needs of the clinic and committed our resources to hiring another doctor. The nurses and doctors currently on staff are among the most devoted I've seen. They have truly blessed the people of Buduburam with a second chance at life.

On Thursday, I met with a Ghanaian government official about the camp's continued status, and then visited the camp to inspect the 5 acres of land I purchased for residents to farm their own land and grow their own produce. I visited a student library where Point Hope provided more than 3000 books to fill the shelves. I visited a church and preached alongside a minister, espousing my belief in God's work at the camp, and offering a testimonial.

I finished the day by handing out more gifts to residents and providing some items that would aid the volunteer neighborhood watch team as well as students at the school of carpentry. The day was long but I was inspired by all the progress I had seen up to this point. I was inspired by how far we've come in just five years. And I was thankful God led me to this place to be His servant for these people.

My time in Buduburam was well spent, and I was able to see how the presence of Point Hope is making a real difference in the lives of thousands of people. I look forward to my next visit with hope that each of our education, nutrition and water programs will be expanded. With God's grace and the help of generous people, we can save lives in Africa. If you would like to know more about my foundation and make a donation today, please visit www.PointHope.org.

Happy New Year 2009!

A new year is upon us, and I don't know many who are sorry to see 2008 come to a close. In fact, I think many are hoping that when the ball drops in Times Square, the economic woes that are plaguing the nation, indeed the world, will begin to subside. And the country would not only have a new president and a new cabinet, but also a new financial reality. I think we all know that is not the case, but it's fun to imagine!

As we embrace the positive changes we hope to see take place, let's also face the realities of where we are with hope and even joy!

When the power goes off at my farm my kids are thrilled! Instead of complaining about the TV or computer going off, they race to find flashlights and candles and insist I build a fire, and cook on the top of my fireplace insert! They love telling stories by candlelight and enjoying some of the simple things in life.

To be honest, I'm kind of excited about some of the positive changes I've already seen in my community and others due to the recession. Friends reaching out to help friends, neighbors helping neighbors. Kids who are used to getting the latest electronic toy or gadget being told "no." Women I know who already have a dozen designer bags realizing they can't afford to waste any money on one more purse.

My mom used to wipe off the aluminum foil and fold it neatly and use it again, and sometimes again.... My dad fixed everything that broke, from toasters to washing machines, cars to eye glasses. I am not minimizing the tragic situation that millions of people are faced with because of the recession world wide, but I'm happy to see people being more practical, less wasteful, more thoughtful and less egocentric.

So save your aluminum foil and start thinking about planting a garden in spring and reach out to bless a neighbor in need! Happy New Year!

The Lord is my Shepherd

Three of my five young children are all in the same contained classroom. Their teacher came up with a very clever way for the kids to relate to Psalm 23, The Lord is my Shepherd. Mrs. Hove had the kids make sheep puppets and recite the psalm as little lambs, "baaahing" as they spoke!

Psalm 23 has been a comfort to many throughout the ages. While on an entertainment tour in Iraq I met a wounded soldier at the military hospital who shared that when he was wounded by a bomb, he stayed conscious and waited for help by reciting Psalm 23:

Have you ever been in a terrible crisis and recited this poem in order to find peace? If so I'd love to read and share your story. Write to me here and let me know how your soul has been restored.

Real Life Heroes

I have a good news story to share. Every day that I read newspapers or catch up with news stories online, I am assaulted with terrible stories of man's inhumanity to man. As a mother, my heart is sickened when I read the sad stories. My oldest son is a police officer, making my heart even more pained as I read these kind of reports.

But today, I was encouraged and thrilled to meet real life heroes and have a story to report of my own that ended not in tragedy, but in good!

I had a long 80 mile trip today, and was driven by a former police officer friend, Paul. Shortly into the trip, we noticed a car driving erratically in front of us. His police background kicked into gear and instead of ignoring the situation he dropped his speed and put us in a safe position behind the driver. Less than a mile later, the erratically driven car swerved and hit the lane barrier in the middle of the freeway. The erratic driver, a woman, bounced back into traffic and nearly hit struck a van full of kids. I called 911 and reported the driver, giving the dispatcher our location and a description of the car. The dispatcher shared that she had already received another call, and as I looked to my right, I noted two men next to us, one of them on the phone. They put their emergency blinkers on to signal others, and got into position behind the crazy driver, waving off other cars that might draw too near.

The woman hit the median again, and careened back into traffic at an even higher speed, before hitting the median a third time and spinning one more time. When state troopers could catch up with her as she was exiting the freeway, she stumbled out of the car insisting she was not drunk. The officers pursued the conversation and I was impressed with the way they handled a tough situation and kept her from hurting herself and others on the road. I was also impressed and very grateful with the two young heroes that cautioned so many drivers on the freeway. One of the two men, a father of two young babies, said that all he could think of when he was trying to protect others on the road was if his family was in one of cars she was bashing in to or nearly careening with. The officers, the two young men and my friend all deserve to be recognized for caring deeply about others on the road.

If you have a drinking problem, get help. If you are too sick or too stubborn to get help, stay off the road. Like this woman exampled, her drunk driving nearly killed many children and adults. No one deserves to have their life taken or impaired because someone thinks they have to right to drink and drive. You may call me a Mother Against Drunk Driving any time, and today I witnessed a perfect example why at the same time I witnessed several true heroes, in and out of uniform.

A New Love in My Life

I have a new male in my life! He is tall and dark, and very handsome…. He is a Friesian, a great big, beautiful black horse measuring almost 17 hands, or about 68 inches tall. His previous owner gave him the name Willam and I have adapted that to Samson Willam, so as a pair we are now Samson and Delilah.

Of course I found him on Craigslist, one of my favorite places on the Internet. When I met him I fell in love with him, and I had to have him in my life. He is 9 years old and he had never been ridden before I brought him home. I rode horses as a child, but I am not particularly well-trained, so Samson and I have begun training together with a gal who lives down the road.

I love taking him on trail rides through the tall trees in the early morning. When the rays of sunshine peek through the lush canopy I feel so at peace in my surroundings and so connected to this amazing animal who takes me down the path.

True to his name—and his long, thick mane—Samson definitely makes himself known as the alpha male when he is in the company of other horses. He is docile and quiet, but I think his size makes him a natural intimidator, and he is never bothered or threatened by horses of a lesser stature.

Though he is tall and brawny, Samson is a gentle riding partner, and I can tell we are a match that was meant to be—learning and growing together. And I can promise that, quite unlike the biblical story, this Delilah is very much in love with her Samson.

Superhero Kids!

Last weekend I took my younger children: Zack, Thomas, Angel, Blessing, Shaylah and my granddaughter Jayla along with my older children and a few friends to the beach. While the adults were working hard to clean out a beach house and set up furniture the kids were getting into all sorts of trouble and arguing at the top of their young lungs, until my daughter Angel and son Zack got creative with the empty furniture boxes!

Within about 10 minutes the arguing stopped and the four youngest kids were busy creating exciting costumes of armor and royalty with cardboard and duct tape. Crowns, shields, body armor and even weapons became a part of their imagination, and for the next several hours my four whirling dervishes played and laughed and scripted out incredible tales of heroes and villains...some were medieval characters, others space invaders but all were occupied, entertained, cooperating and having fun instead of arguing over who drank the last juice box!!

Wishes of the Heart

My thoughts on Debbie Macomber's inspiring new book, Twenty Wishes. A must-have on your list of books to read this summer.

For the last several weeks I've talked about Debbie Macomber's new book, Twenty Wishes on my radio show. I actually invited Debbie to come on the show and talk a bit about the book, and together we were able to grant three wishes for our listeners. We had originally decided on granting one wish, but after the dozens of amazing letters we received, we selected three and made some special wishes come true.

The book isn't a how-to book; it's a sweet story about a group of friends, all widows, who jointly decide to make a list of 20 wishes that were deep in their hearts. Similar to the list of things Jamie Sullivan in the movie, "A Walk to Remember" wanted to accomplish before she passed on. Jamie declared she wanted to be in two places at one time, so her thoughtful boyfriend took her to a state line and had her stand with her feet on both sides of the line. Also similar to the goals determined by the elderly men in the more recent movie "The Bucket List."

I've never been a list maker. Debbie Macomber not only writes about the list with 20 wishes, she has one. She has lists of things to accomplish, tasks to attend to and more. She is a consummate list maker; I am a consummate list loser. Even when I bother to make a list, I lose it shortly thereafter. I can't hold onto a grocery list between my house and the store and often return home with pickled beets when I went for milk and bread and eggs!

But the sweet thing about this book that spoke to my heart, is how easy it is to put aside our wishes, our secret dreams and desires, while we are busy making other plans. I have been blessed in that most of the things I have dreamed or endeavored to do in my life, I have been able to do. Unlike many others I know, I have never let someone else's opinion of what I should be doing or how I should be living, get in my way of having fun! I took my uncomfortable shoes off when I was touring the White House many years ago, and walked around the great halls, barefoot. Later the same day I sat my weary bum down on a padded bench in front of a copy of the Declaration of Independence and nursed my infant daughter. Barefoot.

I've gone horseback riding in the rain, and skinny dipping more than once. I've slid down banisters and climbed up stairs that were marked "Closed to the Public" just to see where they led. I've eaten rodents sold on the roadside in Africa, and grown my own vegetables and fruit for years. I've met Bette Midler and interviewed Elton John, Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney and Sting. I've had dinner at my farm with Wynonna Judd and woken up to find Danny Bedingfield stepping out of my shower in a towel.

When I've had wishes in my heart I never considered them something I should push aside or forget about, rather quite the opposite. I have always raised my kids to believe in making wishes and then trying to make them come true. I love it when they want to catch a turtle or build a fort or camp under the stars. My friends and the babysitters I have hired over the years probably think I'm crazy when I rush outside to find a coffee can to hold the latest garden snake the kids caught, or to punch holes in a lid for the jar that holds a slew of frog eggs. My daughter, Angel, who joined our family just two months ago from a refugee camp in West Africa, has a deep wish to hold a wild squirrel. (She is fascinated that we don't hunt and roast wild creatures at my farm; in her village a squirrel would have been a lovely meal for a family.) She wants to care for wild creatures who are ill or harmed, and I know her wish will come true and God will allow her to nurture some wild creature back to health so it can return to the woods some day.

Daughter Shaylah has a wish to see the Broadway musical "Wicked." She knows the entire soundtrack by heart, not just the lyrics, but each note of each song. Zacky wants to dance on TV; TK's secret wish is to reconnect with his birthmother some day. Blessing's is to be a real princess!

I have been thinking a great deal about what I would put on a list of my heart's wishes; as I said, most of my life's wishes have already come true. Definitely a trip to the Grand Canyon-not to stand on the edge and look down-but an actual trip down into the Grand Canyon, to meet the native people that still live there and to see the beauty and the majesty of God's handiwork. To take a cruise thru the waters of Alaska and see the whales and porpoise frolicking in the icy waters, and to paint the pictures I have in my head of flowers and roosters and children playing on the farm.

Take out a piece of paper. Write down your heart's wishes. Not goals or desires, not something you just achieve, but a wish your heart makes. Then ask God to help them to come true! If you want to share your list with me or Debbie, send them to us and we will find a forum in which to post your list of 20 wishes! Delilah

At Home in Nature

I am on a plane, returning home from a speaking engagement. I've been fortunate that I have not had to travel much the past few months since I brought my newly adopted daughters, Angel and Blessing, home from Africa. I have only been gone two nights, but I am anxious to get home to them and my other three young children who still live at home. I miss them all. As exciting and glamorous as it is for me to stay in an elegant hotel such as the Four Seasons and have people treat me like a rock star, I'd rather be at home listening to my two boys fight over who gets to be the hero in their make-believe quest to defend the universe… and hearing my daughter Shaylah fuss at her younger sister for ruining her lipstick.

In a heartbeat they will be grown and making their own way in the world, as their older siblings are. But while they are young and in my home, I do my best to sew costumes, build tree houses, tell stories under the stars and give them the freedom to explore the woods and streams, while giving them strong enough parameters to keep them safe. At least that is my hope.

I grew up loving the dirt, the trees, the creeks and the ponds. With salamanders and frogs and fresh eggs each day, with tree forts and trails and secrets clubs…. I would rather spend three hours in the woods, teaching my kids which berries are edible and which ones are poisonous, which trees are sturdy enough to climb and how to lash together limbs to build a makeshift shelter, than spend a day in a four-star resort drinking virgin daiquiris by a pool.

My folks taught me the ways of the beavers in a pond and how to make a whistle out of a sapling limb. Mom picked wild berries for pies and jam and made salads out of the greens she found in the fields. Dad knew the names of the flora and the fauna, and how to survive in the wilderness if need be. He took us swimming in rivers and camping in the woods. Mom cooked over an open fire and taught us camp songs under the stars.

The older I get the more I look like my mom, and the more I understand her wisdom and her love for her four kids. I hope my children grow up with a passion for God's great outdoors, and that they always appreciate His creative powers.

Countless Blessings

I have so many of them I cannot count them all; if I tried it would take me the remainder of my days here on earth just to recall the ones I experienced in the last few weeks. But now I have a REAL Blessing, my youngest daughter, Blessing, joined our family in April. Blessing is 4, and the other girl I adopted is an Angel, a REAL Angel! Angel is 13, and together they join my family and make it an even 10 children, five girls and five boys.

Ten children sounds staggering, but one of my daughters, Lonika, was adopted as an adult. I did not have the joy of raising her, but now I have the joy of helping to raise her daughter, my granddaughter Jayla. Four of the children that I did raise are grown and out of the house, leaving Shaylah, Zack and Thomas at home. Until recently, I was a mother to three young children, and now we are scrambling to find a van that will hold all of us!

It has been several years since I had more than three living at home, and the three that I have been raising, although they all have special issues and special needs, are pretty well adjusted to life on the farm and the routine that we have. All that has changed, and "chaos" is the code word for the day now. Blessing and Angel (Willette and Mercy when I adopted them, but they announced they were adopting new first names, as well as last) were born and raised in a refugee camp in Ghana, Africa.

When I started working in Africa, my heart was settled on the idea I would not adopt more children, that I would be more effective in helping a multitude of people if I didn't have more children that are my full-time responsibility. I knew that I am too busy as it is to attend to all of the needs of my three children still at home, and that I am past the age of having boundless energy to rush to little league baseball games and soccer tournaments. I knew the LAST thing I needed were more children to care for, considering the current demands of my role as a single parent, a radio personality, and as the founder of Point Hope.

I met Blessing and Angel when I was in Africa last August. I travel there at least twice a year to work in the refugee camp that my foundation supports, Buduburam. When I met these two girls, who are in no way related, I fell in love with both of them. When I returned to the states, I kept seeing their faces and remembering their stories and how tragic their young lives have been. Understand I meet hundreds of children on each trip; Point Hope is responsible for a feeding program that cares for starving babies and malnourished children, we care for pregnant teenage girls and for nursing mothers. We provide medical services to hundreds of residents of the camp, most of them single mothers. So I am used to having a baby in each arm and one tied to my back when I am working in the camp. I am used to falling in love with at least a dozen of these children, and taking the time to send them special packages of clothes and gifts upon my return home. But as I said, I had determined in my heart that after almost 25 years of parenting, with another 10 years to go before all are graduated from high school, I was finished stepping on Lego pieces at night as I make my way to the bathroom. I was finished reciting "I do NOT like green eggs and ham, I do NOT like them, Sam-I-am."... I was finished singing the alphabet (except with my grandchildren). I was finished teaching kids how to tie shoes and how to hold a fork and spoon. I was finished rushing to attend kindergarten field trips. Or so I thought....

So now I am parenting two girls that had never ridden in a car before I came into their lives. They had never bathed in a tub, flushed a toilet, taken milk from a refrigerator, slept on a bed or taken a hot shower with water warmed from a water heater. They had never been in a swimming pool, walked on a sandy beach or had access to food any time they were hungry. Never once in her 13 years did Angel have a dollar of her own to spend as she pleased; Blessing never knew what it felt like to be tucked into a clean bed at night or kissed and held by a mother who loved her.

Today Angel went to the chicken coop after she got home from school and collected the eggs. She put a dozen of them in a pan as I had shown her, and put them on the stove to boil. In less than half an hour, the dozen eggs had been reduced to six, the other six were gobbled up by Angel while they were still so hot they were difficult to peel. Angel weighs less than 80 pounds and Blessing is about 30. And yet these two little "imps" can eat their weight in boiled eggs and oatmeal!

I am so tired I don't know what day of the week it is. The girls are learning everything for the first time, so life is a constant daze for me these days. But despite my exhaustion and my frustration at having to explain or demonstrate the most basic of tasks that we take for granted, my face hurts from grinning so much. Tonight I will fall asleep quickly again from sheer exhaustion, and I shall thank the Lord for my Blessing, and my Angel of Mercy!

Reflections of Buduburam

I'm writing from a seat aboard a Delta flight, returning once again from Ghana, West Africa. Thousands of miles and a world away from the farm that I call home, Ghana has become like a second home to me the past four and a half years.

The west coast of Africa is notorious for malaria; during the slave trade it was known as "The White Man's Graveyard," because many who ventured there never returned. The locals, who have been exposed to the malaria parasite via the pesky mosquitoes that carry the deadly disease, are also at risk.

Most of the children and adults we care for in the Buduburam refugee camp are suffering from malaria. Most recover with medication; many do not.

Just as malaria gets in your blood and causes a high fever and sometimes madness, Africa and its people are in my blood and I cannot seem to rid myself of the images, both good and bad.

When I am under the sweltering sun I am painfully aware of my lack of pigmentation, and I hope the sunblock I slather on does its job. But despite the fact that I am one white face amid a thousand black faces, I never feel unsafe or even self conscious. Indeed I feel overwhelming love and respect.

I try to emulate the grace and courage of those around me, knowing I fall short.

Journal to Share

Play it Forward Vacations