Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? My mom read this poem to me as a kid what seems like a gazillion times, a gazillion years ago. I never once wondered what it meant. Now, I wonder. And I’m perplexed. Exactly WHY was Mary contrary? Contrary. Webster defines . . . Opposite. Incompatible […]
You’ve Got Mail (The Truth About You in Love Letters)
Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Deuteronomy 8:3 Crab food. That’s what my husband calls it. He says that if I don’t have food when I’m hungry I get really crabby. He’s right. We all need food, water and rest on a […]
Growing Up
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18 Saturday was prom day for our youngest who turned 18 three weeks ago. I close my eyes and see him in that navy blue & white striped shirt he wore the day I held him for the first […]
Walking by Faith
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:6 Walked out to the barn to grain the horses around 9 PM last night, unusually late. Though the moon was […]
Glory Hunting
I wake to the the sun streaming on my side of our bed. A new day. My first thoughts? A prayer formed from words in Lamentations about hope in the midst of affliction. Oh God, because of Your great love we are not consumed, for your compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great […]
You Are Beautiful
I sit across from her, this friend who admits she had a nose-job many years ago. Her hair is dark, straight, short and spiked. Her features are strong. She doesn’t feel pretty, even after her nose-job. Our male waiter comes to our table and looks at me. Me only. Asks what we’d like to drink. […]
Hardened Off
It’s May but still cold here. My potted geraniums survived the winter by staying put in front of our family room’s south-facing windows. Now it’s time to harden them off, expose them to the sun and outside warmth. When the temperature drops at the end of each day, I carry each one into the garage […]
Hurried and Empty
I scramble out the door carrying too much at once. Managing to get into the car without spilling self-brewed Starbucks all over me, I realize I forgot the keys. I set my coffee mug in the holder and throw everything else onto the passenger seat. Run in. Get keys. Run out. Sit down. Close door. […]
Holding Joy in the Contrasts of Life
Hiking through the intense Arizona desert a couple weeks ago, my eye was drawn to the long-faced shadows cast by sun without even a wisp of filtering cloud. I noticed how shadows created depth and accentuated beauty of the agave, the prickly pear, the saguaro. Light. Dark. Contrasts. I thought about years past when I […]
The Power of Three
Three deaths. Three funerals. Three weeks. A trinity of holy. 35 years old. Husband. Father of three. Killed in a car crash. 62 years old. Friend. Sister of one of my best friends. Heart attack. 88 years old. Ministry partner for years. So how can such suffering, so close together, be holy? All are grieving, […]
Terrier Terror and What We Have In Common With Dogs
Instinct. That’s what it is—the reason why our little terrier pup scared me by running off into the wild blue yonder after that rabbit. Downright ignored the red bell. And the shaking salami container. Why? Because Baker just had to. Because that’s what dogs do. They follow their nose. Instinct. That’s what drives us all, […]
Christmas Joy in the Splash of a Cross
Two days before Christmas, I pull my hiking boots on and crisscross the laces, tying tightly. Misted sky is cold, dripping. No wished-for snow. I choose a different path today, the one to the east. Normally, I head west but the evergreens in the forest look so lovely in the mist. I will start there. As […]