Everything fell into place with a little time to spare. No rushing this time. Hooray! That all changed in a second when the wind sucked the door shut, and I found myself locked out of the house with my purse, keys, and phone sitting on the table inside the door. All I had wanted to…
Since our two oldest sons purchased homes recently, my husband and I made a list of prank ideas. As they get settled, dreaming of landscaping, remodeling and/or decorating, I anticipate our visits with glee. We plan to incorporate some of the things they and their siblings have done over the years. Here are our ideas.…
Mittens and Belle learned this truth during the three months my son Nathanial’s cats lived with us: Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting with strife (Proverbs 17:1). Temporary guests upset cats, who by nature don’t appreciate change. When Knight and Luna arrived at our house in April,…
Gardening this year reminds me of the struggles farmers face. Their tracts of land are greater, of course, but some of their problems are similar. Farming and gardening both struggle with weather, weeds, loss of crops, and insects. Weather caused late start Where I live, many farmers were unable to finish all their planting because…
Love your neighbor as yourself. That’s a straightforward commandment. But could we just be honest and face facts? We’re not Jesus, and it’s difficult to love everyone. Impossible even. Unless you have help, of course. Thoughts of justice and mercy Some people just irritate me, so I need a lot of help. Lack of a…
Recently, I read one of Erma Bombeck’s books because I wanted to read something funny. Erma Bombeck makes me laugh until tears spill down my cheeks and my side aches. That’s the kind of laughter I wanted. She delivered. I felt better. Laughter is good medicine for the soul. Yet interspersed in the funny columns…
Because on Independence Day, patriotism bestirs our hearts, I wanted to take time to thank our service men and women for keeping our nation safe and to honor them all by sharing a story of one. During high school, Ben Conway gathered with my son and their friends at my house to play video games…
When you pray, be careful what you pray, especially if it involves an old vehicle. My husband, Pat, prayed twice for vehicles: once for one to reach so many miles and another to last through a child’s college graduation. As soon as the first came to the mileage goal, we drove at our own risk.…
I spent May enjoying a writing class with Heather Holleman, professor of composition and advanced writing at Penn State and author of Seated with Christ. I ignored the first few invitations to join the Compel Book Club because May looked super busy with end of the school year stuff, plus a son graduated from college.…
Last week, I shared about how God answered my longing to see a bald eagle in the wild. He answered another prayer that involved cats. I love my feline friends. When my youngest daughter was a baby, I told God that someday I wanted a cat with lots of white. As with my eagle request,…