43 posts
Yes, I meant pebble, not penny. Tina Francis, is July's author for the daily devotional, Forward Movement. Yesterday's reading reminded me how aggravating a pea-sized pebble can be, lodged between your foot and shoe. No matter how you squiggle and contort your foot to remove…
Got four minutes? Then, read on. Well, it's Monday, and not as warm as yesterday. But Spring's all over the place. It's that time of year when good surprises keep happening. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "The earth laughs in flowers." So does my Perch. It's…
No, I'm not talking about dying, but about moving on from places where we feel stuck. Since several of you responded to the prayer by Harold Bussell in my blog, Unfinished Business, I wanted to refer you to Harold's book, from which it came: Thoughtful…
That's all he said, "It's me." But that was enough. But I'm running ahead of the story. So lets back up. Recently, our book group read This is Happiness by Niall Williams. It is a novel, set in the town of Faha, Ireland. A witty…
That's what Philip Yancey calls GRACE, "the last best word," in his May 20th reflection in Grace Notes. Why? Well, in a culture too marked by ungrace, most of us still know what grace should look or sound like. And what could illustrate ungrace more…
Like many of you, I've read about the life and death of Pope Francis and watched thousands come to Rome to say, "Goodbye and thank you." People came from all over the world. Young and old, religious and non-religious and probably anti-religious folks, as well.…
There's so much to love about the South. And I do. And not just because I have family and friends who live in North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, Alabama and Florida. Although, Florida doesn't feel like the real South to me with transplants and retirees…
Well, I heard it...she saw...he told me...I read...they said. It reminds me of something I saw on a sign: "The best gossip starts with, 'Psst.' " And way back in the Garden of Eden, Evil whispered, "Psst, Eve. Did God really say...?"(from Genesis 3) And…
The misty gray day showed up with just enough light to awaken me. I was on slow time. But that's not new. I'm slower now with so many spent time behind me. And I guess that's true for many of you who read this blog.…
This question comes from someone wanting more than a minute. They want me. And often it comes from one who is suffering or troubled about an issue or person. How do I respond? Not always well, which I'm learning from the book we're studying in…
It's been awhile since I thought about tarrying. Life presses and pulses. Phones ping with texts. Meanwhile, my TO DO list grows, as my time shrinks. Still, God keeps showing up, beckoning me to be still and know that God is God. And that's where…
Did you ever try to teach a dog to STAY? A child? Yourself? Then add that our culture doesn't always reward staying. Sometimes faithfulness, experience, vows get trumped by bottom lines or the notion that new is better. Which is why this week's chapter in…
Like many of you, I love to read. So it's troubling to learn how far behind many children are in reading. And how few can read or write cursive. One's handwriting offers clues to a person, as does what we read. So many of our…
How do we handle sacred space? In Philip Yancey's book, Grace Notes, he writes," Rather than rushing from one task to the next, pause for a moment and recognize the time between times." Time is also a focus in the book of Ecclesiastes. Remember those…
Actually, it's my Sunday School class on Ecclesiastes that spurs me to look at life. Mine, not just the life of the Teacher who wrote this puzzling book. For example, how many times can you read that something they did or you're doing is "meaningless"…
Easier written than done, this truth-telling. Yesterday marked the birthday in 1906 of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theologian, author and Lutheran pastor. He was also a 20th century Christian martyr. Why? He told the truth about Hitler and Nazism. So, I wonder, how truthful am I? And,…
"Texture: Express Yourself!" Our New Year's Eve party assignment. I came as JELL-O. But then you knew that if you read my last blog...JELL-Oh! So since some of you were curious and others wanted permission to copy my costume/necklace, here it is. Momo, age eighty-won,as…
To most, it's just a necklace. However, to me it speaks of hope and courage to persevere in tough times. It's a tangible reminder of roots and branches, the makings of family trees. My daughter-in -love gave me this silver and enamel tree of life…
The Kleenex surprised me, tucked inside Mama's Bible. I'd been sorting through books when I pulled her well-read copy off the shelf. Thumbing through, I found the tissue alongside Genesis 12. It's Abraham's story of trusting in God's Goodness, then moving by faith, "unto a…
A while ago our book group read Simon Winchester's The Professor and the Madman, on the making of the Oxford English Dictionary. Fascinating. Recently, I learned there's an Oxford Junior Dictionary, used in schools around the globe. They revised the dictionary in 2007, omitting about…
The bulky birthday package took its time coming from California, laden with homemade cards, photos, book, and poems by Basil and Luke, school assignments included for this grateful grandmother. Both grandsons chose nature as image bearer for their words. Made me want to send copies…
What a great idea you had, God, a Sabbath, day like no other. If You needed to hit the pause button, how much more do we, workaholics, worrywarts, and wizened ones need a day of rest and reflection. "I was glad when they said unto…
Kids are so for real . Last Sunday as we drove from church, Kate, age seven, recounted her challenging week, the result of her parents in bed with the flu. She and Maggie'd been making their own breakfasts and lunches and more. That's good. R…
Went to Safeway to pick up a few groceries and a newspaper. Still like holding newspapers and books more than reading online. Driving out of the parking lot, I noticed a cluster of inflatable holiday decorations across the street. A blown-up stable with Mary, Joseph…
The laundry sloshes as I write, washing away the grime of travel. Putting away the stuff brought along or accumulated during three weeks away takes little effort; unpacking lessons, significant moments takes time. As is my habit, I brought along books to read and leave…
It's Monday and I'm home. Last Friday the choir met for our final time onboard the Rotterdam, singing, "Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee." "Next request?" Someone shouted the page # for,"Great is Thy Faithfulness."…
This morning we slipped into Oslo, Norway's capital. Sunshine showed up to welcome us and momentarily startle the Norwegians. Yesterday we sailed from Bergen to Oslo. I love days at sea. Onboard options included: Passenger Poetry Recitation ( by memory). A few forgot a line,…
Vows. Easily made, hard kept. Awoke this morning thinking about marriage. Ours. Today would've been our 54th. We made it to 51 plus. Couldn't hurdle over "in sickness and in health" or "til death do us part." Wonder what Jud's doing today? After dropping off…
Today was such a day, dulled by heavy clouds and just too chilly for my liking in May. After running a few errands, settled into my nest, watched the Red Sox win a game before deciding to fold the laundry. Time to get at the…
This week the Boston Globe reported new research shows Norwegians are the happiest people on earth. Guess it's time to burn my copy of Scandinavian Humor and Other Myths. While still talking Scandinavian trivia, have you heard of hygge? It's a Danish word for the…
Today I write to you from Arizona where the air's dry and warm. Reading the Gospels for a New Testament survey class at our church, encouraged me to look at the times in which I live through the times into which Jesus came. Out in…
On chilly January evenings, what's better than hot tea and a good book? Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove, is a literary treat. It helps the author's Swedish and I've known more than one Ove in my extended family or from other Scandinavian gatherings. Most…
It's happened more than once. Reading something in the Boston Globe and feeling so disgusted, I couldn't finish the article. Recent stories on human trafficking in a town not that far away form here, political bragging and bashing, alt-realities on so many fronts, I stopped…
There's no place like home. That's how I've always felt about returning to wherever I've lived and about this country I call Home. Which makes me think afresh about homeland security. What makes a country secure ? A home safe for all who dwell therein?…
With Labor Day tomorrow, Summer's pretty much gone. Back to school time. While no longer bound or blessed directly by the academic year, I'm still in life's school. Happily free of required reading, I enjoy choosing from books on shelves or beside "Jud's chair" in…
Few things I love more than reading a good book. I'll take even a not-so-good book over television. Something happens when I crawl into a story, fiction or non. It's also one of my favorite activities with the Grands. Reading together. There are so many…
No, not politics, today, but lets continue our conversation soon. Some, who've followed this blog awhile, wonder what's become of my knee. It's hanging in there, like other parts, which will remain nameless. Made a medical appointment to talk about my knee and next steps.After…
Nothing inside Estonia's Museum of the Occupation spoke like the suitcases in the courtyard. The luggage talked, giving irrevocable testimony against Stalin's reign of terror towards Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and his own people. Two months ago, a Boston Globe article noted that few books, compared…
It's raining. My joints warned me before I looked out the window. Spring struggles to come full bloom. Who can blame her? A forgotten Star Wars coloring book and sheets sloshing in the washer remind me of Heather and Basil's visit for a long weekend.…
Jud and I were in NYC, March 2012, so he could attend BioLogos meetings as a board member and enthusiast for the organization. No longer at Gordon, we enjoyed the freedom of fewer time constraints, taking the train to New York, extending time in the…
Sunshine warms the room and me as I sit writing, watching waves hurl a few daring surfers towards the shore. The storm's past but powerful waves beckon a few to leash surfboards to their ankles, paddle out even on a cold wintry day, to seek…
Chad called to wish me a Happy New Year. Woke me out of a sound sleep since he's on EST and I'm on the other coast. Not a cardinal sin since it was 7 a.m. out here. I love when he calls, no matter when…
Annie and I spent the better part of the day in the spacious library or near the fireplace at the Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. It's been a slow day and a good one for us two "Lavender Ladies" as one of the children dubbed…