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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Empty? Full? Which Do You Want?
The build up to Easter is over. His death. His resurrection. His leaving the tomb. The empty tomb. The reason for rejoicing. And yet, we still deal with empty. Don’t we? We’re constantly running around trying to fill ourselves up. Aren’t we? Power. Acceptance. Comfort. Control. We all know EMPTY, don’t we? Alive […]
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, […]
A FAREWELL FOR JO (AND THE HOPE FOR US ALL)
My dear friend Nancy, my neighbor, lost her sister Jo Monday night. 62 years old. Vibrant wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend. Heart attack. Alive in the morning. Gone by night. There’s agony here around this farm, this Holy Week, as we march to Maundy Thursday, the day our Lord wept in a garden as he […]
Why You Need to Change Your Point of View
The familiar brown truck rolls up our farm’s gravel drive and the man who loves to play tug with our rambunctious yellow lab hands her a biscuit before handing me my box. She jumps and nearly gets him in the face with her enthusiastic expectation and her wet tongue. Yeah, and so it goes. We […]
What To Do With A Snafu
I am experiencing a royal snafu involving my doctor’s office, my pharmacy and my insurance company which has kept me from getting the medication dosage I need for four days. You see, I diagnosed myself years ago and my physician confirmed. I have GAD—Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Medication helps. I also have had a couple major […]
Storm Warning for a New Year
I watch the words scroll across the television screen . . . WINTER STORM WARNING National Weather Service says it’s supposed to start Monday at 11 AM and continue until Tuesday at 11 AM. Warning’s for all southeast Wisconsin. We’re to expect high winds reaching 40 mph. Four to six inches of snow. Freezing rain. […]
Invisible Threats and Giving Thanks
It’s Thanksgiving week and in Wisconsin there’s a frenzy for bagging a buck, the more points the better. We live in the country. Men in orange (and some women) sit in tree stands, waiting. Some sit in camouflaged blinds, waiting, like my husband and youngest son. They haven’t fired their shotguns yet after two times out. But a huge […]
When You Feel Like The Edges Of Your Life Are Crumbling And You Need Solid Anchors
I stood on the edge of a cliff wondering whether the rock would hold me if I ventured too far to the edge. From my high vantage point, I could see the vast array of autumn colors and the large lake down below—Devil’s Lake. I saw men and women with ropes anchored in rock, thrown […]
Some Thoughts on Dying When You Feel Like It and the Hope That Stops You
It is late September. The sugar maple is tinged with fire, a burning mix of orange and red and yellow, engulfing the green. Honking Vs of geese fly over the barn. One yellowed leaf curls on the grass. Three Sandhill cranes lift off alfalfa field, warbling their way into the air, a trinity created by […]