An Angel in the Garden
Our word for the year is encourage—and wouldn’t you know it, God keeps giving us pop-up reminders everywhere we turn. Right outside our garage, no less. Our community has shared garden beds—wood-sided spaces meant for flowers, vegetables, and herbs. Most of them shine through spring and summer, then quietly rest. But not Cherry’s. Oh no. Cherry…
Oh Holy Night
It’s Christmas Eve! We’re so close now. Christmas is tomorrow. We feel it in the air — the quiet excitement, the rustle of wrapping paper in a back room, AND the whispered negotiations — “Plllllease can we open just one present?” on Christmas Eve. You remember that feeling, don’t you? The one gift allowed early.…
Find the Giver of the Gift
When life gets confusing, we rattle off the usual suspects: When? Where? How? Why? Sound familiar? We pace, we pray, we peek under every emotional rock trying to find the answers. But maybe the answer isn’t a thing at all. Maybe it’s a Who. “Stop looking for the answers — start looking for the Giver.”…
Stop — In the Name of Love
Remember that old Supremes’ song? “Stop, in the name of love, before I break your heart. Think it over!” It’s not a hymn, but today it feels like a message from God. Since my husband of 44 years passed away in 2010, I’ve written 3,775 blogs. Blogging became my mission, a gift from God to…
Behind Closed Doors
Ever say: “I’m waiting for doors to open”, meaning a job opportunity, or patiently waiting for a store to open its doors, or the cash windfall that you could sure use that’s behind those closed doors? Remember when we placed our hands and fingers in a position to show “Here’s the church; here’s the steeple.”…
Love, Jesus
Love, JesusAs a teenager, I was so excited to see my name on a name tag on a carefully wrapped present. I couldn’t wait for Christmas. I remember carefully unwrapping the present, checking out the contents, and, with care, wrapping the gift back up. Speaking of name tags, wouldn’t it be awesome to see a…
Christmas is Coming Soon
How does that statement make you feel? If you’re like many people, it may be along the lines of one or more of these scenarios: • You love the season, but your mind immediately jumps to a stressful “to-do” list.• You have absolutely no clue what present(s) to get for [whomever] — or when you’ll…
The Royal Treatment
We took turns telling my son, Ryan, how special he is to us on Father’s Day. Each one, with their own unique personality and style, shared their sentiments — some of which were hilarious. When it was my turn, I teared up because this man is a “chip off the old block”. He looks and…
Don’t Look for the Answers
Look for the Giver. I heard those words spoken and they resonated with me. How often do we ask the stand-pat questions in a state of wonder and concern: “When? Where? How? Why?” when we should be nuzzling in close to the Giver – the One who knows it all and has all the answers.…
Blessed is She Who Believes
That title was inspired by Luke 1:45 “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her!” Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, proclaimed those affirming words to Mary after a long trip from Nazareth. It’s only 20 days until Christmas AND 26 days until 2021, but who’s counting? I’m inspiring myself as…