From the outset of the coronavirus in the United States in early 2020, I was cautious about adhering to the Centers for Disease Control guidelines for Americans’ response to it. I felt the threat was real and was determined that I would do all I could to avoid being infected. Among all the other precautions … Continue reading Wearing a Mask IS a Big Deal!
As I was recently thumbing through several of my recipe books, one of which had belonged to my mother, I pulled out a single half-sheet of paper with her handwriting on it. I quickly realized that my then recently widowed mom was jotting down an agenda: notes of what she wanted to get done in … Continue reading What is Your Agenda?
One day you’re standing upright, holding your head up high. All around you is a clear sky with rays of sunshine warming your face and your heart. There are stressful elements in your life, to be sure. But they are manageable. You have a daily routine. And a very normal daily routine it is. Working. … Continue reading How to Keep Standing
Have you ever witnessed a mom berating her child at the grocery store and wondered why major discipline couldn’t be kept at home? What about a parent so intent on his child’s athletic team’s winning that he takes to the field to challenge verbally or physically a coach or a referee? Road rage is something … Continue reading Grow Up! And Act Like An Adult!
Rudeness, crudeness, and outright lies are what I hear daily in the words spoken within the arenas of government, politics, show biz venues and the public square. What does the Bible have to say about the speech of a child of God? In his letter to the Colossians, the members of the church that he … Continue reading Giving Grace and Salt to Our Words
I want to share with you something a friend of mine said recently to me, “The virus is global, but God is universal.” Maybe she was quoting someone. I don’t know. But her words did make me pause to reflect on my belief in a Higher Being and how this belief affects my response to … Continue reading Finding Personal Equilibrium in a Chaotic World
Some of you reading my words love the thrill of a roller coaster ride. The speed, the sharp turns, the precipitous dip! But that has never been an adventure I craved. In fact, I have only been on one roller coaster in my entire life, when my husband somehow tricked me into taking leave of … Continue reading Stop the World! I Wanna Get Off!
Here is a letter to my school-age grandchildren which I would like to share with you: May 2020 Dear Grandgirls and Grandguys, Congratulations to you 2020 Graduates and your Families! To my Eighth Grade Grad, you really are a 2020 graduate as you have finished the rigorous requirements for the courses in your grade and … Continue reading Congratulations to 2020 Graduates!
One day you’re standing upright, holding your head up high. All around you is a clear sky with rays of sunshine warming your face and your heart. There are stressful elements in your life, to be sure. But they are manageable. You have a daily routine. And a very normal daily routine it is. Working. … Continue reading How to Keep Standing
In my recent series on money management, I've shared how my husband and I handled finances through our almost 33 years of marriage. We went from being a childless working couple for seven years to a family which included three children and two dogs. We lived in a small inexpensive apartment in the inner city … Continue reading Building Bigger Barns
It was Easter Morning 1999 and my husband, who had been a vibrant, stirring, muscular man, was now reduced to a skeletal figure forced to lie flat on his back on a hospital bed. Our three children, all in their twenties, were fulfilling their Sunday church responsibilities in music and media and would join me in … Continue reading Standing on Holy Ground
This supper of Jesus with his twelve disciples which we call The Last Supper, as it is recorded in the Gospels, was going to be a meal unlike others they had shared. Jesus would reveal what was about to happen in the days ahead. And He was going to institute the observance of Communion or … Continue reading Understanding Jesus’ Observance of the Jewish Passover
History chooses whom to remember and whom to forget. And such was the case of African American women who worked for NASA in its early days as “human computers,” mathematicians, scientists and engineers. One of these highly intelligent and strongly motivated women was Katherine Johnson who died this week at the age of 101. I … Continue reading Katherine Johnson: Getting the Numbers Right
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
The year 2020 seems almost magical when I write it. I think it is because I equate the number with the cataract removal and implant surgery I had several years ago. The relatively quick procedure took my vision from 20/200, which in my case meant the “Big E” was a fuzzy splat on the wall … Continue reading 20/20 Vision in the Year 2020: a reflection on the future
If I asked you to participate in the game of FIND THE MISFIT in the following list: The Three Kings, a Wise Guy with a Bow Tie, Wise Men from the East, and The Magi, what would you answer? Let’s examine a familiar Christmas carol, the Holy Bible, cultural history, and family tradition. Then let’s … Continue reading Wise Guy With A Bow Tie!
Basically, I think you can say I love technology. And I really love what technology applied to surgery can do for an old body! No, I’m not talking about cosmetic surgery. I have been tempted in that direction, though! I’m talking about medical surgical procedures to help out old, worn body parts. I’ve had a … Continue reading First Time Post, “The New God”
We seemingly live in a CULTURE OF EXTREME FATIGUE. It is evident from harried moms and dads with busy work and family responsibilities all the way down to our young school children. An example of this is a recent exchange my youngest grandchild had with the priest at her school. While my two granddaughters and … Continue reading Culture of Extreme Fatigue
Astronauts reach for the planets. Movie stars aim for the Oscars, and the Golden Globe Awards. Politicians stump for votes. Teachers have a loftier goal--they touch tomorrow, or in other words, they touch the future through their influence on students in their classrooms. Some years ago I walked into a school hallway and saw in … Continue reading Touching Tomorrow
In times of turmoil around us--hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, mass flooding, unparalleled fires--and within us--sickness, disease, death, accidents, addiction, poverty, crime--many individuals cry out, "Where is God?" Particularly anguished are families who lose innocent children. This is not a new question. And I'm sure I don't have new answers. I certainly will not have answers … Continue reading Where Are You?
I had the good fortune of coming from a large extended family when I was growing up. There were so many aunts and uncles and lots of cousins--so numerous that I'd have to stop and count to give you exact numbers! And, on my Mom's side of the family, we all lived within close proximity. … Continue reading Here’s To Happy Trails
In my family when we had pets they were always dogs. The first dog I remember had a shiny black coat and dark, dark eyes. He was actually my grandmother's, but since we lived with her from time to time, by extension he belonged to us all. His name was Sparky, and my older brother … Continue reading The Passing of General
My playful ditty BIONIC NONNY [pronounced NAH'nee} explores the wonderful age of medical miracles in which we live! What surgeons can repair in a broken or degenerate body is amazing! Surgery, hospitals, and rehabilitation facilities are certainly not what I think of when I contemplate a pleasant experience or a time of vacation. However, after … Continue reading Bionic Nonny!
When life gets rough some people blame God. They just cannot understand why God would let bad things happen to them. Them... of all people! They were brought up in church. They don't do anything really terrible. They pray. They do good deeds. And then when something overwhelming happens, they look to God as though … Continue reading In the Storm
It was Easter Morning 1999 and my husband, who had been a vibrant, stirring, muscular man, was now reduced to a skeletal figure forced to lie supine on a hospital bed. Our three children, all in their twenties, were fulfilling their Sunday church responsibilities in music and media and would join me in my vigil … Continue reading Standing on Holy Ground
Depression comes to us all at different times in our lives. For some, the despondency is so severe that thoughts of taking one's own life become a real possibility. Suicidal thoughts and actions occur to all ages and come to individuals of all socioeconomic strata. As we look from the outside upon those whom we … Continue reading Sunrise Hope . . .
Having been a mother of teens and teacher of teens, and now being a grandmother of teens, may I humbly share with you my reflections on how to reach out to the defiant adolescent in your home. Certainly there are no fool-proof prescriptions for dealing with children during the transitional years from childhood to adulthood. … Continue reading How to Reach Out to Your Rebellious Teen
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