100 Simple Things (just the second ten)

  1) Autumn is my favorite season. I come alive when the world around me begins to turn gold and scarlet and the air is crisp. 2) I love to ice skate. In Colorado, I grew up ice skating. My first pair of ice skates were blue with grey fur on top. I loved them because no…

Profound Sadness

  The days are passing quickly since we buried Dad. There has been much to do with the season, with work, with keeping the house going. Our daughter leaves for Cyprus in less than a week. She is in a bustle preparing for six months abroad. I have been awake since 4 AM, sitting in…

Still Sweeping

After Dad’s death, we are still “sweeping up the heart and putting love away.” Wayne and Scott have spent a few days with Mom putting things in order financially, logistically. There is so much to do. Mom says her hardest times are in the morning when she first awakes. She prays and cries and cries…

Hauntingly Beautiful

A few years ago while in St. Petersburg, Russia, I bought a c/d titled, Earthsongs, by a European group called, Secret Garden. When I heard this song, Sometimes When it Rains, the hauntingly beautiful melody compelled me so much that I pulled the car over to listen with rapt attention. This music nourished my parched soul like streams in…

Emmanuel–God With Us!

This morning at church we sang the old familar chorus, “Emmanuel.” The words are simple and uplifting: Emmanuel, Emmanuel. His name is called Emmanuel. God with us, revealed in us. His name is called Emmanuel. The spirit of the song caused my heart to swell with praise and gratitude. In Hebrew “Emmanuel” means “God (is) with…

This Still Cracks Me Up!

Hey, I was one of those kids who got a hula hoop for Christmas and loved it! And the chipmunks’ Christmas song, well, it still cracks me up.

Stuffed Stockings

  Since our daughter is 19 now and no longer the little girl that used to sneak around the house to spy Christmas presents, we stuff our stockings early–way before Christmas Eve. They are already stuffed with goodies. Actually, it means everyone of us must use self control not to peak. It’s hardest for me….

Burn Rubber!

Yesterday was the funeral. It was a sweet memorial to a wonderful life. We ended the day in Bartlett, Texas, with a graveside service, and we lingered while they put the casket into the vault, sealed it, and lowered it in the earth. We stood around as a family and watched them lower Dad into…

haiku: no sting in death

  I have been awake since 3 AM–way too early to arise. But arise I did, reluctantly. I need more sleep for the very long day we will have today. There will be physical and emotional strain in saying good-bye, in seeing many people, in the journey to Bartlett and back. I need more sleep……