As I walked beneath heavy boughs that blocked the light, I stared above to see limbs leaning left and right, and as the wind swayed the branches, I thought I heard words. I stood still, solidly grounded, but my ears uplifted to catch the soft sounds. Sit in our shade, the trees said, and I… Continue reading I Heard the Trees Whisper
Looking Back
If you don't mind 100+ degree temperatures, the place you might want to visit on the second weekend of August is Vernon, Texas. There, each year, you will find "Summer's Last Blast." The popular event has a thirty year history. What makes Vernon's event special--aside from the heat, which is not so special in August--is… Continue reading Looking Back
Treasure Island
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. --Luke 12.34 Once a man told me the story of a woman--his wife--who traded their children for twenty black bags of garbage. I kid you not. Nor was he kidding when he told me the tale. As he related the event, his wife could… Continue reading Treasure Island
A Stitch in Time
Like Linus, I believe in a blankie. Although I don't carry mine around continuously as we see that wise-beyond-his-years "Peanuts" character does, still I have an emotional attachment to blankets that probably Linus alone can understand. "Happiness," Linus once philosophized, "is a warm blanket." Only the most heartless human being would argue with that belief.… Continue reading A Stitch in Time
“Just A Nickel to Her Name”
Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God. (Luke 12.21) When the rabbi named Jesus died on the cross, the only material possession he left behind that was worth fighting for was the shirt on his back. When Mahatma Gandhi died, he… Continue reading “Just A Nickel to Her Name”
A Parent’s Credo
Credo --an idea or set of beliefs that guides the actions of a person or group. From the Latin, "I believe." I believe that my child is a gift from the God who gives life to all things that live upon the earth. For reasons known only to him, God chose to give this child… Continue reading A Parent’s Credo
The Day God Got Out the Play Doh
Play-Doh and I both were born in 1956. You can make of that whatever you want. I've given it some thought myself. The irony is I never played with play-doh as a child, although we were siblings. I didn't meet my sibling until much later when introductions were made in my mom's kitchen as she… Continue reading The Day God Got Out the Play Doh
“We Speak German Here!”
My grandmother would switch from English to German when she was excited, disgusted, or didn't want my six-year-old self to know what she was saying. When it happened, I knew something was up. Often, the switch would happen during a St. Louis Cardinals' baseball game. The German phrase most often spoken by her--and which has… Continue reading “We Speak German Here!”
Birthdays Are Special
My mom never had a birthday cake when she was growing up. Not that her mother was uncaring or forgetful--she wasn't--but it simply wasn't a thing back in her day. At least not in her home. As a child, I found it difficult to understand because birthdays and birthday cakes always were synonymous in my… Continue reading Birthdays Are Special
A Prayer for a Priest Whose Death Leaves Us With Memories of a Beloved Shepherd of Souls and a Friend to Us All
Lord of life, of all that lives upon the earth and lives again in the new heavens with you, We come to you with tears and with broken hearts and with sadness too much to bear. Our loss is great. The one whom you called to shepherd us, your lost sheep, and to guide us… Continue reading A Prayer for a Priest Whose Death Leaves Us With Memories of a Beloved Shepherd of Souls and a Friend to Us All
Sunday Brunch 