Visions of Sugar Plums
“Twas the night before Christmas” poem goes on to say, “The children were nestled all snug in their beds; While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.” But let’s pause for a moment. What is a sugar plum, anyway? I did a little digging and discovered three possibilities. First, it’s a candied plum —…
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You
Today marks the third Sunday of Advent, a perfect time to sing, “Go Tell It on the Mountain!” I’m not suggesting we lace up our hiking boots and scale a mountain! Let’s start right where we are — at ground zero — and let the JOY of Christ’s coming shine through us. The third candle…
Saving the Ones We Love the Most
We all have inbred instincts to save the ones we love the most. We are passionate about making sure our children don’t touch a hot stove, and they look both ways before crossing a street. But what kind of true grit do we possess for our children and grandchildren that will save them from the…
Just Take the First Step
Oh how sweet the memories of helping my children and grandchildren take their first steps. It was an achievement for them, but even more so, it was an achievement for us. Jesus understands children and He understands us. He Who created water certainly knew His ability for walking on water. Nowhere do we read about…
A Tribute to Mothers, Nurturers, Mentors, and Champions of Love
On this special day, I want to extend a heartfelt Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredible women who embody the spirit of nurturing and love. Whether you’re a mother by birth, adoption, or simply by the overflow of your heart, your impact is immeasurable, and your love knows no bounds. As we celebrate Mother’s…
Jesus Loves Me This I Know
I’m revving my engine — mentally and physically. My personal, physical engine had a routine colonoscopy yesterday! I kept thinking while I was surviving all the prep work: “How could I have scheduled this procedure at this time of year?” “Wow! Let’s get another colonoscopy next week!” – said no one EVER! For goodness sakes…
Lunar New Year 2023 – the Year of the Rabbit
“Happy New Year!” That’s what we said to our hostess at Pao’s Chinese Restaurant on Sunday. The moment we said those words, her eyes brightened. She said: “Oh, I have something for you!” When she returned, she had red envelopes for each of us. She explained: “This is tradition!” In my inquisitive manner, I had…
Who or What We Are is God’s Gift to Us
“You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me. I sing for joy because of what you have done.” (Psalm 92:4) Today, July 8th, marks our 56th wedding anniversary. My Sweetheart is in heaven, but I’m still thinking about God’s many gifts in my life because of our union. My parents had it…
I Can Hardly Wait
I know parents of young children are hearing those words repeatedly said today. Santa just can’t get here fast enough. On the other hand, parents of those young and older children still have so much on their to-do lists that they wouldn’t mind at all if Santa held off for several more days! In just…
God Isn’t Scratching His Head
How far we’ve come since the worst thing that we could get punished for in school was chewing gum or triggering (with a ball point pen) a stink bomb! Whew! I can still smell that in the halls of my school or the chemistry classroom. And fast forward a few decades to the 2020’s and…