The Gift of Love
Aw, the Thanksgiving and Christmas season is fast approaching! It’s getting close to the time for baking marathons, endless lists, gift wrapping that could rival the elves, and the annual budget “discussion” over what gifts we can actually afford to give. If you’re anything like me, there’s joy in giving, but let’s be real: the…
Using our Talents
Jesus told the Parable of the Talents to remind us of the importance of using the gifts and talents He’s given us. In the story, the servants who wisely used their talents were praised with, “Well done, good and faithful servants… enter into the joy of the Lord!” (Matthew 25:23) But the one who buried…
Let’s Stop Comparing
I saw a sign that said, “Don’t compare your Chapter 1 to someone else’s Chapter 20.” I needed those words. I wanted to be the virtuoso singer who spent countless years training her voice and I was comparing the voice I had in my church’s choir. I wanted to be the exemplary homemaker whose home…
Making the Most of our Talents
PLEASE DON’T STOP READING! You, who think you have no talents! Oh, yes you do, and I am here to remind you about them today! Once upon a time I sang in my school choir and in church choirs. I was also a singer in the Masters IV Quartet. I played the organ and the…
This is Me
How utterly self-centered can I be as I sing “Happy Birthday to Me” today? Why not? This birthday week started with my sweet husband giving me a James Avery sunflower necklace that honors our wedding and the sunflowers we chose. Before that, he had taken me to a “Sunflower” Vietnamese Restaurant that displayed sunflowers throughout.…
Bah Humbug!
That expression is well-known as the catchphrase of miserly old Ebenezer Scrooge, the main character in Charles Dickens’ 1843 novel, “A Christmas Carol.” Scrooge, who thinks Christmas is an enormous deception, retorts, “Bah! Humbug!” to anyone who dares to wish him a merry Christmas! It’s December 1st when we get into the pondering and reflecting…
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…
Our Christmas Cross
This was my fourth year of celebrating Christmas with my family using a Christmas symbol as inspiration. First year, the cardinal; second year, joy; third year, peace. And this year was the greatest of all symbols – the cross. What? No, at this time of year, it should be the manger – not the cross!…
Today my soliloquy goes like this: “It’s my birthday! It’s my birthday and it’s a MIRACLE! In spite of all the odds, I am still here!” On this my B-day, I’m dog-sitting my children’s 85-pound, Australian Shepherd, Buddy, and their 5-pound Yorkie, Emma, while the fam is hanging out and enjoying the cool temps and…
Unto Us a Child is Born — Happy Birthday, Jesus!
The birthday celebration is on – as children everywhere are running to see what Santa brought them last night. For them, it’s all about the presents and for those of us who know better — it’s about God’s greatest present EVER – His beloved Son. That’s how He celebrates His Son’s birth-day – giving us…