Menu confusion is my nemesis, hovering over every lunch date and dinner plan. I can’t concentrate on making conversation for trying to decide what I should order. Usually there are so many excellent choices, it’s hard to choose just one. In my experience, most servers are pretty good at reading their costumers. They recognize indecision …
Feel The Heat
What does pure, unadulterated faith look like, the faith of a child that Jesus commended? I saw it in the face of my eighteen year old son and heard it in his voice, as we contemplated the possibility of brain surgery after eight years of tweaking and changing medications failed to stop his seizures. I …
Fitting In
The year my daughter received a fifteen hundred piece puzzle for Christmas and determined we would not to go to bed until it was finished was the year I stopped enjoying jigsaw puzzles. We finished it, framed it, and said never again! She still enjoys puzzles and games, but with a newborn at home, they’re …
I Will Not Be Moved
Twelve. The number of homes I’ve occupied in my lifetime. Three before I was married and nine since. Half we’ve owned, half we’ve rented. Some of our moves have been from necessity but some have been our choice. All have been within the same state. In every location, I’ve felt secure, but not necessarily because …
Are Your Ears Burning?
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 …
A Fitting Reply 