Lesson Learned from a Restive Retriever
“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” (Ps. 16:6 — NIV) Unlike our Pyrenees prisoner, whose restlessness landed him behind extra strands of barbed wire on our neighbors’ farm, our restive Retriever puppy faces restrictions for…
Jesus Always
Our first Sunday evening of Advent was perfect. May I repeat? PERFECT! I had the wreath displayed so nicely in a central location in our home. I had the candles ready. Our little plastic Mary and Joseph were preparing to embark on their journey toward…
Lamb Light
The City doesn’t need sun or moon for light. God’s Glory is its light, the Lamb its lamp (Rev. 21:23 – The Message)! Well past midnight on Christmas Eve, we made our way to the barn and to the pasture beyond. No celestial orb lit the…
Where I Walk
“The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.” William Blake I walk a parish called White Oak, which inconspicuously “becomes” after a simple bend off Fines Creek. We have a community center; a church with a bell that rings “Welcome!” three times a week;…
Your Golden Year, Jacob
Last night we sat outside, enjoying extended conversation after dinner — Jacob, Bill and me. It was the Golden Hour, and I noticed something. There weren’t any fireflies. Typically they illumine the hillside — a synchronized light show over our pasture and in the trees…
Happy 28th Anniversary!
We were friends before there were cell phones or internet or any form of social media. We wrote love notes and talked on phones attached to the wall with long (and sometimes not-so-long) cords. We socialized at the skating rink and the town basketball court…
A Mess of Berries and Bunchems
Allie loves the movie Tangled, but this word took on whole new meaning recently. While at Bible study, the children gathered. Some played with Legos and blocks, while Allie decided upon deceivingly cute Bunchems — colorful little doodads that, bunched together, create all sorts of…
Taste and See!
Taste and see that the LORD is good (Psalm 34:8a — NIV). The other day I witnessed something peculiar, yet profoundly analogous to a particular struggle of mine. As I sat on my porch swing reading, I heard the familiar sound of a hummingbird. Looking…
Mockery Made Melody
God turns our mourning into joyful dancing… (from Ps. 30) Nineteen years ago today I returned home from the hospital without my daughter. Her empty car seat seemed to mock me from Columbia to Greenville, SC — and had I listened to the voice of…
Scattered Seed
As a little girl, I remember walking along the back fencerow of our yard in search of milkweed — their pods gathered in clusters. The unattractive gray-brown outer coverings, once opened, revealed a glorious treasure – silky white fluff that floated on the wind. My…