How can you tell if you’re the subject of conversation? Does the room become silent when you enter? Does everyone look in your direction or avoid looking at you altogether? I remember my grandmother saying “your ears must be burning” to her dad as he walked into her kitchen. She expected him daily. Depending on …
Our Time To Speak
Later this week, my husband and I will attend candlelight worship on Christmas Eve. This service has been part of our thirty years married. The combination of carols, familiar Scripture readings, and sharing this time together with other believers is the perfect prelude to our family celebration on Christmas Day. Add our first grandchild and …
Signs and Wonders
I didn’t expect my fig tree to bear fruit in its second year, yet somehow it bloomed well past its growing season. By winter, I counted at least twenty figs. They never reached peak size nor did they ripen. The first frost left the fruit exposed on bare limbs where they remain. The people in …
Your Destination Is Just Ahead
Recalculating. Return to the route. Make a legal u-turn. Promptings by the gps can cause blood pressure spikes, especially in heavy traffic or in unfamiliar territory. I really dislike being so dependent on technology for direction. I’ve pulled onto the highway to the right or left only to have the map spin like a compass …
He Loves Me
I watched as my younger son, Jacob, twisted an apple stem to the sing-song cadence of the alphabet. As he approached the letter of his wife’s first name, he gave an extra yank and proclaimed triumphantly, “V for Valentina!” If there’d been a clover or a daisy, he would have split the last petal to …
A Life Changed
One year ago, I didn’t know I would be a grandmother and I had no idea I had cancer. The day before I met my daughter-in-law’s family for the first time, I had my initial screening colonoscopy recommended at age fifty. I wish I’d had one sooner. I was diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer …
Securely Held
This morning, the chair across from me is empty. The view from where I sit is glorious on this second day of October. There’s a slight breeze provided by the fan above me and an accompaniment of birds singing. I choose this spot as often as I can to bask in the glory of the …
OH! My God…🙏🏻
Sensationalism saturates our media and marks our culture as shock value seems to be the highest ideal of journalists. Every headline meant to grab attention elevates the bar until what used to make us cringe is now merely scrolled past like old news. Cinema and entertainment only adds to this barrage with fictional content that …
You Finish What You Start
I’ve reached the age where my former penchant for multitasking has turned into easy distractibility. I start four or five tasks only to discover them partly completed later in the same day or week. At the same time, I am finding myself more productive in this particular season. I am motivated by time with my …
Insurance
When I was in 5th grade, the Gideons still came into public schools to distribute personal New Testaments to any child who wanted a copy of God’s Word free of charge. I don’t remember anyone in my class declining the offer and we each went home that day with God’s Word in hand, imitation leather …
A Fitting Reply 