Stories about moments that connect us to God, each other, and ourselves.
As a teenager, I remember trying to find the meaning of my name. The results of my search were less than satisfying. Terri meant swan and Lynn meant lake. I’d been hoping for something profound. I didn’t quite know how to spin swan lake into anything that would wow anyone, myself included.
Read MoreHave you ever lost your sense of wonder? I have.
As children, we were easily amazed. Planes in the sky, bubbles emerging from a soapy wand, the flashing lights and shrieking cry of a firetruck were all it took. Then we grew up and these moved onto a growing list of things we’ve experienced hundreds of times. What we once marveled at, became ordinary.
Read MoreHome is where you can wash off your makeup, lay aside your dress-up clothes, and put on your stretchy pants. It’s where you are free to ramble about and raid the cupboards. It’s where you can sink down on the sofa, prop up your feet, and hang out with the people you love. But it’s more than that.
Read MoreI suppose everyone has that one place they can go that feeds their soul. A place where they are refreshed. For some it’s the beach, for others the mountains. Maybe it’s the golf course. Mine is much closer to home. For me, it’s the garden.
Read MoreOur dog, Gabby, died on a Thursday in April. It’s been over a year. The day was unusually cool, filled with brilliant sunshine, and kissed by a gentle breeze. She was fourteen and a half years old.
Read MoreAs Passover approaches, I find my thoughts turning more and more to Jesus, and his final days on the earth. The world was in chaos when he came on the scene. Rome’s oppression of the Jews had them looking in earnest for the long-awaited Messiah to come riding in and save the day. Surely, he would soon break the Roman yoke from their necks.
Read MoreFour days after Christmas my niece, Mary, floated down a wooden staircase on a cloud of white lace and ruffles into a new life. I wondered, as I almost always do on these occasions, whether or not the new bride and groom could possibly know what they were getting themselves into.
Read MoreAt the close of each year, I stand on the threshold of the next and feel a certain sense of apprehension. If there’s one thing life has taught me, it’s that change is inevitable.
Read MoreAs I sat there basking in the light that peered through the branches, I was filled with thankfulness for its warmth on my face and the way previously unseen spiderwebs that stretched across the lawn now sparkled like strings of diamonds.
Read MoreA tropical storm was on course to crash our annual family and friends vacation. It was roughly two days out, and already the sea was choppy and the winds brisk. After nightfall, we grabbed some flashlights and made our way to the pier just off the pool area located inside the gated community we would call home for the next few days.
Read MoreIt is the season of the Jewish feast known as Sukkot. A harvest festival also often referred to as the Feast of Booths, or the Feast of Tabernacles. During this time each year, Israel is to live in booths or temporary tents to remind them of the wilderness journey of their ancestors from Egypt to the Promised Land.
Read MoreMy thoughts can take me to dark places. My imagination conjures up a bleak future while the pessimistic me wonders what calamity is next.
Read MoreI peered up at him and promptly responded, “I look just like my daddy.” With that, I resumed my infinite loop.
Read MoreThen right in the middle of spring bliss there’s a random day when the temperature reaches eighty-two, just warm enough that the air takes on a thicker, heavier feel. The slightest hint of moisture appears across the bridge of my nose causing my sunglasses to slip down while I’m working the flower beds. Suddenly, the elation I’d experienced the day before evaporates. Oh no. I’m not for summer.
Read MoreI have memories from my childhood that come back to me in flashes and echos. Memories of me in front of my bedroom mirror, Mama’s brushing my thick, waist-length hair. As she brushes she says, “You’re so beautiful” and “You can do anything you want to do.”
Read MoreThe subject of my birthday came up and the fact that I am now fifty-five, and then, as though it had not been blatantly obvious until that moment, the stunning realization that sixty is only five years away came crashing down on me. I started to cry.
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