One day Nonny showed Timmy A picture on the wall. She said next to his Daddy Was a man she called Popaw.* “There used to be a Popaw Who played with your sister Sue. But since your Popaw died, There’s just me and you.” A tear rolled down Nonny’s cheek As she held Timmy up … Continue reading Holding Popaw In My Heart (a new poem)
A first cousin on my maternal (Marcum) side of the family recently passed away. Memories flooded into my mind when I received a text from his son Mike that he was gone. Actually, I sat down and cried for a while for there were so many good memories that I had of “Billy” as he … Continue reading An Unexpected Special Thanksgiving — In Memory of My Cousin Bill Warren
We see a wide-eyed little girl, maybe six or so, in a church worship service. She’s standing next to her mother in a pew at the left side of the sanctuary, very close to the pianist whose fingers move adroitly over the keys of the ebony baby grand piano. The child’s eyes shift from the … Continue reading Vibrant Vibes — A Musical Phenomenon
If there’s anything our modern times have been good about teaching us, it is that there is nothing we can claim as normal. Even as young adults, if we had pretty much figured out what our passion was and sketched out a plan for reaching certain goals in life, I think we all have found … Continue reading Finding Calm in Times of Chaos
The months of May and June bring with them the celebration of Mother's Day and then Father's Day in the U.S.A. as well as many other countries throughout the world. As my family treated me this past Mother's Day with lots of flowers and foods plus a family get-together at my older daughter’s house, I … Continue reading Tell Mother I’ll Be There . . .
In my memory, I have a vivid image of countless blades of grass in my backyard which I was seeing for the first time in an almost magical way. When was that? The time was when I had just returned home after the cataract removal and intraocular implant on my right eye. I was just … Continue reading BEAUTY IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD (Finding Beauty Series, #4)
Can there be any benefit in filling our minds with beautiful thoughts? Some might counter that if we are struggling with difficult events in our life, which is true for so many of us, having the fortitude to control what enters our brain is out of reach. My response is: consider your reflections or meditations … Continue reading CREATING BEAUTIFUL THOUGHTS (Finding Beauty Series, #3)
The Easter season for me every year is a time of serious reflection as it was on Easter Sunday in 1999 that my husband at age fifty-two passed from this life into the next. Our three young adult children and I didn't see his death coming until there was a crisis moment when he ended … Continue reading Holy Ground – An Easter essay of Hope & Encouragement
What do you think of when you think of the word “wilderness”? The first syllable ‘wild’ is what jumps out to me. Untamable like the weeds in my garden sometime! Or in biblical reference, I think of the forty years the Israelites in the Holy Bible book of Exodus wandered trying to find their way, … Continue reading Escape From Darkness – A Palm Sunday essay of Hope & Encouragement
Have you ever started out on a road trip knowing the highway you were going to take, but not quite sure how many miles you were going to travel, or exactly what would become your final destination? This was the kind of journey the “Magi,” or Wise Men from the East” found themselves on as … Continue reading A Journey Full of Hope
I don't think anyone reading my blog today would disagree with the statement that our society has become less and less civil. As information is spread so quickly through mass media, we make snap judgments which may or may not be based on truth. Consequently many allow their perceptions of what is right or wrong … Continue reading A North Star Worthy of Following
As I was recently going through some old family documents, I came across a United States Postal Service first class stamp with the denomination of six cents. “Wow!” I thought. “When I sent a Christmas card this year, the cost was ten times as much-sixty cents.” The stamp had never been used to send a … Continue reading In the Beginning…
We see a wide-eyed little girl, maybe six or so, in a church worship service. She’s standing next to her mother in a pew at the left side of the sanctuary, very close to the pianist whose fingers move adroitly over the keys of the ebony baby grand piano. The child’s eyes shift from the … Continue reading Vibrant Vibes: A Musical Phenomenon
There are times when life can become overwhelming. The sense of not being able to shoulder alone what is being thrown at you is very real for all of us at one time or another. It may be the loss of a loved one. Or losing one’s job. Struggling with health issues. Betrayal of a … Continue reading Carrying Each Other’s Burdens
One of my climbing red rose bushes a couple of years ago developed a really thick stem with huge prickly thorns for practically its entire length of about four feet. That started me to think about the thorns we are enduring in our daily lives which have been turned topsy-turvy since 2020 as we continue … Continue reading Enduring Thorns 🌹
For a long time, I interpreted the judge in one of Jesus’ New Testament parables as a figure representing God. I even had a family member whose instruction to me was, “Worry the Judge!” when I would complain to him about some disturbing aspect of my life. However, now upon closer examination of the Gospel … Continue reading Worry the Judge!
It’s that time of the year again when we begin to think about the upcoming holidays. And, of course, that means visions of delectable foods we might prepare start to dance in our heads! Some of mine take a good bit of preparation. But some are super easy to make! What I am sharing today … Continue reading Nonny’s Favorite Holiday Recipes – Magic Chocolate Cake – No eggs or dairy!
In the twentieth century, the practice of cryonics (preserving dead bodies for a future ‘resurrection’) came into being. Though dismissed by many as a pseudo-science, others have clung to its hope by having their own or loved one’s body go through the preservation procedure. According to my Google search, there are at least four cryonic … Continue reading How to Live Forever
For the fourth and final week of our blog series on Finding Peace As You Pray The Lord's Prayer, I'm posting in German. The featured Holy Bible selection is from the revision of Martin Luther’s translation, the German DELUT—Lutherbibel 1960. Jesus’ disciples requested that He teach them how to pray. Thus, we find in the … Continue reading Frieden Finden—The Lord’s Prayer in German
For the third week of our blog series on Finding Peace As You Pray The Lord’s Prayer, I’m posting this prayer, which is also called “The Our Father,” as it is translated in Spanish. It is found in The Holy Bible in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 6, Verses 9-13. You are not alone if … Continue reading Encontrar la Paz—The Lord’s Prayer in Spanish
For the second week of our blog series on Finding Peace As You Pray The Lord’s Prayer, I’m posting this prayer in French. If French is not your "heart language" or a language you are studying, you may choose to read and hear it in another language by going to http://www.Bible.com You will find there … Continue reading Trouver La Paix—The Lord’s Prayer In French
In uncertain times life can seem overwhelming. Perhaps you, along with many others, are feeling abandoned, fearful, or if not that extreme maybe just uneasy. Things just don't seem ‘normal’ or the way they may have been in the past. Today marks the beginning of blog series on finding peace. Finding peace by praying and … Continue reading Finding Peace as You Pray The Lord’s Prayer
If there is no father in your life, whatever the cause—perhaps death or abandonment—a Holy God wants to fill that void. And He equally desires to comfort and protect the widow who has lost her mate. What I’ve chosen to share with you today in my blog is a brief but powerful promise from the … Continue reading Do You Need A Father?
There has never been a single individual born on earth wearing bejeweled rings, a fancy headdress, or an elegant garment. All come into this world completely unadorned. And there is nothing from this world that you can take out with you. In the Christian religious faith, we believe after death the soul of a believer … Continue reading Going Out the Way You Came In
A note from Nonny -- Thanks in no small part to your prayers and well wishes, I'm out of the hospital, back home, and getting stronger by the day. Thank you, Connie Carlisle Polley Millions of people in the U.S.A. and other parts of the world have gastric disorders related to the foods they eat. … Continue reading A Tasty Dish that’s Good for Your Gut! (Recipe)
A note from Nonny's youngest -- It would mean so much if you would keep Connie Carlisle Polley in your thoughts, hearts, prayers, and best hopes at this time. She has been in the hospital for the last few days. Ever-diligent, Nonny prepared this blog in advance and asked me to make sure it got … Continue reading They All Showed Up For The Party!
As a child I knew my Dad had a strong work ethic, both at home and on the job. And I was used to seeing him occupied with fixing something such as malfunctioning plumbing or painting inside and out to keep our house looking well-kept. When I was in grade school he began working at … Continue reading Still Putting Bread and Butter on Our Family’s Table
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