When my daughter and her husband were dating, they texted long distance while he was away at college during the week and visited on weekends. They both had Apple smartphones so they regularly used emojis in their messages, and not those manufactured using punctuation creatively. According to Siri Knowledge, emojis originated in Japan and are …
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 …
Start Small(ish)
They’ve heard the baby’s heartbeat and they’ve seen the initial ultrasound photos. In just a few more weeks, a complete body scan will show tiny facial features, little fingers and toes. Will she be sucking her thumb? Will she be naughty like her daddy and scoot out of the frame each time the tech gets …
Those God Foreknew
My second grandchild will be a girl. Her parents could hardly wait to find out! It was intended to be a surprise for Christmas and my son really did try to keep the secret. He made it a full twenty minutes of conversation before it slipped out! “Our little girl will be…” Only then he …
Seamless
Transitioning year to year is fairly seamless. Were it not for the traditional celebrations ringing in the midnight hour, one day would end with a new one beginning while we slept. Nothing noteworthy differentiates December thirty-first from January first in the passing of time. The weather is identical. The days remain short. Some folks have …
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 …
Star Light, Star Bright
When nights are cold and clear and the moon is waning, stars appear against the blackness like dots on my Light Bright when my baby brother got hold of it. One glance away from the brightest star are numberless smaller points of light. The longer you look, the more you see. I’ve never studied the …
The When That Never Came
I remember my first Christmas married and before kids, my husband and I had big dreams for the future and very little money. We were both in school and working part time. I was an undergraduate in Accounting and he was in his second year of medical school. I worked as a teller at a …
Watching and Waiting
My younger son and his bride were able to hear the heartbeat of their baby this week for the first time and their exclamations as they each shared the news with me were all joy and relief commingled. As they eagerly await the birth of their firstborn, their hopes and fears meet as in the …
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 …
A Fitting Reply 