The Last Chapter

Most mornings, I go onto the porch to sit and sip my coffee and listen to the birds. It’s my way of easing into the day, like warming up the engine of a car before you drive it. From where I sit, I have a clear view of the yard, the garden, and the pond beyond. There are times when the morning starts out clear, then a fog drifts in, the scene before me obscured by a cloudy haze in a matter of moments. That’s sort of how I felt as I wrote the last chapter of the novel I’ve been working on for ages. Things were a bit murky.

His Workmanship

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the ways in which Daddy left his mark on me. From as far back as I can remember, people have said I look like him. But our resemblance has to do with more than genetics.

Grieving With Hope

Standing by Daddy’s hospital bedside, I watched him slip quietly away. All the while I had the overwhelming sense that his life wasn’t ending. Rather, it was beginning somewhere new.

Beyond Reason

Who can understand why the heart chooses to love? Physical beauty, strength, charm, social standing, or wealth? For every why, there is an equal and opposite why not. Beauty fades, strength fails, wealth is unreliable. Love is difficult to explain.

The Orienting Point

It’s 6:38 p.m. Supper is over, and the kitchen is clean. I’ve come out to the porch to sit and soak in the last of this day. In just a few short weeks, it will be dark by this time of evening.

Terri R MillerOctober 24, 2024#lifeismoments, #theway, #truenorth, #mycompass, #topsyturvynomore Comments

I've Got You

I’d forgotten that Mama likes to hold hands. Not that I’d remember the iron grip that steadied me as a toddler learning to walk or the one that kept me from running headlong into danger’s path. I was too young then for such memories to stick.

Terri R MillerAugust 31, 2024#ivegotyou, #lifeismoments, #holdinghands, #motherandchild Comments

Sowing Seed

For many years, Boston ferns hung in baskets along my front porch, from spring into fall. I enjoyed their graceful foliage spilling over the edges of their plastic containers. I watered them diligently, especially during the hottest part of summer, and they rewarded me with lush fronds that waved to me as I pulled into the drive at the end of each day. Then one summer, the ferns became infested with tiny caterpillars that quickly ravaged them, leaving behind containers of nothing but long skinny sticks.

Terri R MillerJuly 19, 2024#lifeismoments, #sowingseed, #inthegarden Comments

A Backbone of Prayer

After a while, I sensed someone by my side and felt a hand on my back. In a thickly, accented voice, a man began to pray. He prayed quietly for a few moments, then to me he said, “Prayer is your backbone.” That was it. He moved on.

Come and See

What would your answer be if Jesus were to ask you, “What do you seek?” I think such a question would overwhelm me. There are so many things I want to understand, I’m not sure I’d know where to begin.

Christmas Came

It was mid-December last year before I got the Christmas tree up. I don’t usually wait that long, but I was having trouble getting into the spirit of things. I put if off over and over waiting for the right time, a convenient time. Eventually, I thought, “Just do it. When the tree’s up and the house is decorated, it’ll feel like Christmas.” So, I did.

But Christmas didn’t come.

Terri R MillerDecember 24, 2023#christmascame, #lifeismoments, #merryandbright, #comfortandjoy Comments

A Change in Season

No matter how much I love the garden, the time always comes to let go. At the beginning of the year, when an unexpected warm day pokes it head into February’s door with the promise of spring, I begin to dream and plan for what I will plant. I envision not only the initial planting, but fantasize of a second summer planting that will keep the supply of cucumbers and tomatoes coming long past August and into September. I even fancy the possibility of fall greens and root vegetables.

The Price of Peace

An incident occurred in my family when I was a young girl of seven or eight years old that I have rarely shared. I’ll admit, it was not my finest hour.

Terri R MillerSeptember 7, 2023#lifeismoments, #propitiation, #substitue, #jesusourbrother, #thepriceofpeace Comments

Bird's Eye View

Often when I’m walking down to my garden, I notice weeds here and there as I wade through the lush Bermuda of the backyard. From my kitchen window, or even the sofa on the patio, I don’t see those unwanted shoots camouflaged among the blades of green grass.

A Song to Sing

It’s been seven years since I stepped off a plane onto African soil. Seven years. Even now, all I have to do is think of it, and I’m back there again.

A Stream in the Desert

As I read, I began to realize my soul had felt dry and thirsty for a long time, and as far as I could tell, there was no end in sight.

What's Your Name

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.

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