hard times Archives - Diana Derringer

Weather the Storm

February 16, 2026 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

How did you weather the recent storm? Some of you may have escaped snow, ice, and frigid temperatures. However, we experienced all three. More than one person said our driveway was like a skating rink.

Literally, to weather the storm means to stay where we are until a storm passes.

We go nowhere. With few options, we hunker down and wait until the worst is over.

Figuratively, to weather the storm means to survive a hard time or situation.

We experience and live through it. Many close to us have recently faced such hardships.

Health crises
Death of family members
Job loss
Financial difficulties
Family problems

According to The Free Dictionary, this expression “has been used figuratively from about 1650.”

A similar expression is to ride out the storm.

We hang on for dear life through our difficulties.

Life is not always easy.

We experience ups and downs. Hard times come and go. Yet we can make it.

We never have to weather the storm alone.

God promises never to leave those who follow Him. Because He remains near, we have no need to fear.

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid” (Hebrews13:6 NIV).

Thanks to Beckham Wilson for the suggestion.

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Let Up

December 27, 2021 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

A few years ago, everyone hoped an ice storm would soon let up. The heavy ice:

Covered and broke limbs on shrubs and trees
Downed power lines
Made travel impossible

Sometimes we feel like we cannot get a let up from life’s storms. When it rains, it pours. Problems overwhelm us. We reach the end of our rope.

Recent tornadoes:

Destroyed homes and property
Injured and killed people going about their daily lives
Damaged entire communities

To let up means to slow down or stop.

This can apply to:

Weather
Speed
Hard times
Physical, mental, or emotional pressure

This expression often applies to relationships.

Children want parents to let up on rules.
Employees want bosses to let up on work.
Many times, we need to let up on ourselves.

Whatever our pressures, God offers relief.

Problems do not always go away. However, God offers peace, hope, and comfort in every situation.

“We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair” (2 Corinthians 4:8 NIV).

Thanks to Sue Davis Potts for the suggestion.

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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Tough Cookie

September 18, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 26 comments

Tough Cookie -- Tim Derringer My husband is one tough cookie. The way he handles hard times amazes me.

A tough cookie has often experienced a hard life.

My husband has suffered from:

A malignant brain tumor (In 2004, he was expected to live three to five years.)
A heart attack, stroke, and fall that caused a severe brain injury (In 2009, all three happened the same day. He was not expected to live 24 hours.)

A tough cookie is a strong person.

My husband refuses to give up in spite of health problems. He:

Almost never complains
Rarely gets discouraged
Fears little
Refuses to accept defeat

A tough cookie decides to make the most of life.

My husband would prefer to be healthy and able to work. However, he chooses not to be a worry wart. Instead, he enjoys what he can. He crosses each day’s bridges as he gets to them.

A tough cookie is not perfect.

No one is perfect. Life is not perfect. However, like all of us, my husband has a choice: complain or do the best he can. He says what happened to him is just the way the cookie crumbles. Therefore, he makes the best of life.

A second explanation of a tough cookie:

A difficult person
Someone who always wants his own way
An unpleasant co-worker

I seldom hear anyone use this second explanation.

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11 NIV).

Do you know a tough cookie? Please comment below.

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Thanks to Talmadge “Tim” Derringer for permission to share part of his story.

Save for a Rainy Day

August 21, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

We never know what the future holds.

Therefore, we need to save for a rainy day.

A few of us enjoy rainy days. Many people do not. For them, a rainy day means a bad time.

The sky becomes dark.
They must cancel outside plans.
Everything turns wet and messy.
They get in a bad mood.

Whether we like rainy days or not, we should prepare for them.

Keep an umbrella.
Make inside plans.
Dress for wet weather.
Do something to improve our mood.

When we save for a rainy day, we prepare for hard times.

Storms in life occur as well as storms in the weather. Life storms may include:

Job loss
Health problems
Home or car repairs
Other unexpected bills

We prepare for a rainy day – an emergency – by saving money. We hope we never have to spend that money. Yet, we have it if we need it.

As an old song reminds us, into each life some rain must fall.

Sometimes when it rains, it pours. Therefore, let’s batten down the hatches and get ready for the rain.

“The clouds poured down water, the heavens resounded with thunder” (Psalm 77:17 NIV).

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles

August 15, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

Eventually we all suffer hard times.

That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles-plate of cookies When that happens, we may say to one another, “That’s the way the cookie crumbles.” We mean:

That’s too bad.
Those things happen.
You could not have prevented your problems.
You cannot change your problems.
I’m sorry about your problems.

We don’t like it. We may want to scream, “Life’s not fair.” Well … it isn’t. So we deal with that fact. Saying “That’s the way the cookie crumbles” encourages us not to get upset.

No one is problem free. In fact, some of the kindest, wisest people I know seem to have one problem after another. They get few breaks.

Yet, many of them ignore their troubles. Instead, they reach out to help others. They do whatever it takes to make other people’s lives easier. They find joy in the middle of all they face.

Will we find joy in spite of our problems?

When life falls apart, will we fall apart as well? Or will we ask God to guide us? Will we help other people deal with their troubles? Will we make the best of a bad situation?

^“You have patiently suffered for me without quitting” (Revelation 2:3 TLB).

Thanks to Carol Sullivan and Sweet Hospitality for the yummy looking cookie photo.

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Buck Up

July 25, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

Buck Up--sun shining above dark clouds Cheer up! Perk up! Get over it! Life is not that bad. All these mean the same thing: buck up.

Life is not usually as bad as we think.

Everything looks dark down in the dumps. We see no way out. That often results when we look the wrong way.

When we walk down a cave’s dark path, we see no escape.
When we move toward the entrance, we see the light.

We must choose to move.

The light remains there for us. We decide which way to go.

We do the same in daily life. Will we remain down in the dumps or focus on the light at the end of the tunnel?

Our circumstances may remain the same. We all go through hard times. However, we choose our mood.

What we tell ourselves changes our mood.
Our mood changes our actions.

For physical depression, we may need medical help. For a bad attitude, we need to buck up.

Remember: Every cloud has a silver lining.

“My God turns my darkness into light” (Psalm 18:28 NIV).

Thanks to Joy Taylor for the suggestion.

Do you have an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.

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A Dog’s Life

April 4, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

A Dog's Life Many dogs, like Tina, never have to live a dog’s life. Their owners spoil them. They receive all they need and most of what they want.

Attention
Love
Rest
Food and shelter
Toys and more

In contrast, when we say we lead a dog’s life, we mean we have a terrible life.

We receive little or no attention.
No one cares.
We work too hard.
Our needs and wants are unmet.
We never have any fun.

Occasionally we may live a dog’s life. Most often, we have an easier life than we think. World news reminds us just how good our life is. Many people suffer because of:

War
Religious persecution
Abuse and neglect
Weather-related tragedies
Murder and other crimes

The list of suffering seems endless.

If we have food, shelter, and someone to love, we are blessed beyond measure. Our cups run over.

“You, Lord, preserve both people and animals” (Psalm 36:6 NIV).

Thanks to Phyllis Holland for the expression and Shirley Cheatham for the photo.

Do you have a dog’s life example? If so, please comment.

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Pull Yourself Up by Your Bootstraps

June 10, 2014 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

To pull yourself up by your bootstraps (bootlaces) sounds impossible. With your boots on your feet, how can you lift yourself by the straps?

You can’t. Yet many people lift themselves from what appear to be impossible circumstances every day.

My parents and many of their generation:

Grew up poor
Had parents die young
Received little formal education

That sounds like the perfect formula for failure. Nevertheless, most of them live happy, productive lives. They pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and:

Did what they had to do to make a living
Loved and provided for their spouses and children
Returned to school as adults or became self-taught
Spent what they had, not what they hoped to earn

They never whined about their losses. Instead, they did their best each day and helped others do the same. No one picked them up and carried them. They did it themselves, as they said, “with the good Lord’s help.”

Life’s not always fair. They accepted that reality. They made the best of their circumstances.

I salute them, one and all.

“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty” (Proverbs 14:23).

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