Pausing for a moment as I brushed my teeth, I heard Tom came in with Sawyer, our 4-year-old grandson. Sleeping in a tent with his cousins and Grandpa wasn’t Sawyer’s idea of a good night’s sleep at his first Camp Grandma. He’d played hard all day—swimming, games, snacks, crafts, a
Long time ago – back when we were first pastoring, our supervisor, Doc Wymore and his wife, Betty, came to visit one Sunday. This was a BIG deal, and I wanted to make a good impression: I cooked a traditional Sunday roast for our honored guests. Was it amazing? Uh…
Yesterday I spent part of my day giving my mental energy away. Yep, not good. And I should know better. Every time you or I get anxious, we are mentally trespassing in someone’s affairs. We’re meddling in either God’s business or someone else’s and using up mental energy we need
Aaaaack! When life gets messy, my mind goes crazy with cluttered thoughts and my emotions don’t play nice. Usually I’m not thinking anything about my legacy when that happens. I just want to survive. But how I handle life’s messes communicates a lot about my values and faith. People I
Some years ago I was recovering in the hospital from major cancer surgery and woke from a nice nap to see a good friend sitting by the side of my bed. She and her daughter had dropped by to visit and cheer me up. They’d brought along a monkey that
Confession time here… I occasionally feel like a duck out of water when talking with my kids. Teenagers don’t always want Mom’s input, and I sometimes have to gauge moods and timing even now that they’re adults. And it isn’t just my kids; it can be with anyone I love
Time to wrap up Christmas and celebrate the arrival of a New Year. Does that thought bring up feelings of excitement for you, or do you feel like a load of dirty socks left too long in the laundry basket? For many the New Year is just a continuation of
I love having a yummy dinner out with my husband, Tom. Of course, he always leaves a generous tip for the waitress. You probably do the same thing… tip the waiter whenever you eat out or receive some exceptional service from someone. That’s what good people do, right? But I’ve
Have you noticed how social media encourages gratefulness all through the month of November? Perhaps you’re doing one of the many 30 Days of Gratefulness challenges where you post something you’re grateful for each day during the month. I think that’s great, but I’d like to take it a step
Have you ever had a work or social situation where one person stood out as difficult? You know the kind I mean—your opinion is always minimized, and you just can’t seem to warm up to this person’s personality. Sometimes these people pass through your life quickly. Often they stay. Either