My Blog
Letting Go of Christmas
I'm not sure why it took me so long to realize this: I don't have to be the designated adult for Christmas anymore. Two more generations of our family now have have jobs, cars, homes, skills, and the ability to secure a meal. Yet, I kept thinking it was my job to do...
In Case Your Christmas isn’t Merry
I'm a total fan of the Christmas season. But, I understand that sometimes the holly jolly can simply be too much. All the merry and bright can be painful to those of us who are facing the season with sorrow, loss, loneliness, sickness, poverty, or other problems of...
The Heartland Literary and Green Tomato Chutney Society
Tonight is the Christmas party for our local writers' group, the Heartland Christian College Story Guild. And I'm missing it. So, of course, I'm feeling nostalgic and also so grateful for having found my tribe in these folks. I'm thinking back to the first-ever...
When Blessings are Messy
I've been eagerly awaiting a visit from some of our grandchildren and their mama. I've planned the food, the fun, the bed space, the projects. I've been counting the blessings of all those hours together. They finally arrived last night at bedtime. Today, our...
The Annual Earthquake Edition
I write about this anniversary every year because I never want to forget. This was the day in 1968 when the earth shook my pew in a little country church. I thought God was trying to get my attention. I would learn much later that the earthquake was real. In that...
We Salute You
When my father got his draft letter for WWII, he had rarely been further from home than the State Fair. The only islands he'd seen appeared each summer when the Chariton River got low. And Europe seemed as far away as the moon. Even so, my dad climbed on the...