Record numbers of voters recently went to their polling sites and in many places stood in line for an appreciable amount of time. They were willing to wait in order to exercise their right to elect persons they felt would represent their concerns on health care, jobs, immigration, crime and more. Most voted their conscience … Continue reading Voting Dilemma
Where do we turn when there is violence all around us? Where do we run to feel safe when there are those who relish shattering the safety of our schools, the sanctuary of our places of worship, and the normalcy of our marketplaces? Run to family and friends and console one another with compassionate words … Continue reading Words of a Friend in Times of Violence
Surely I'm not the only one who has ever done something outlandishly stupid. Maybe you have, too. My now adult son and I look back on an incident that happened when he was ten years old and still laugh as though it is a joke we are hearing for the first time. Growing up, my … Continue reading Certainly Not A Pipe Dream!
We are heirs to a kingdom! / Born from on high! / Children of a Mighty King, / That cannot be denied. / We are heirs to a kingdom! / Filled with God's majesty! / Let no one try to hold us down. / We're heirs, you and me!...
A restless son left his Dad's embrace / To live life on his own. / He turned away from his Father's house / And love he once had known. / He fulfilled the dreams of each desire / But still ached with emptiness. / So, regretting wrongs, he went back home / And smiled through tears when his Dad said...
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
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?
The innocent honesty of small children lends charm even to life’s not-so-pleasant inevitabilities. I hope you enjoy the following scenarios. One day when my three children, my mother-in-law, and I were having lunch at a modestly-priced restaurant, it became apparent that my four-year-old daughter was staring intently at her grandmother’s face. “What are you looking … Continue reading Gems Out of the Mouth of a Babe
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
Keeping pace in a crowded race / With plans laid out for my stride, / I saw off the path a wounded heart / And I almost passed it by. / Yet while others ran on, I walked alone / Not knowing what price I’d pay / For walking a road never taken before / But with love, I looked for a way...
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
Over the years I have sung in a number of church choirs. In fact, Wednesday evening rehearsal, Sunday morning warm-up/choral leadership of worship, and participation in seasonal musical cantatas are a part of my DNA. As such, I have been under the leadership of numerous music directors. Here's a poem of appreciation I wrote for … Continue reading Opus Just Begun / Still More Work To Come
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
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
Teens and cars: one of the biggest things that Moms worry about. Even those teens who have been driving a year or two still give us Moms pause. We know the adolescent brain doesn't measure potentially dangerous situations the way we do. My following poem, A MOM'S PRAYERS, still brings a shiver to my spine … Continue reading A Mom’s Prayers
Fairy tales would lead us to believe concerning relationships that everyone lives "happily ever after." Many times that is true. Other times, death or difficulties intervene and marriages are cut short. I'm sharing with you a poem I wrote for a dear family member as he found love again after his wife of many years … Continue reading Love Found
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 . . .
A few years ago I wrote a short poem as a note of condolence to my physician who was mourning the unexpected passing of her friend's young adult son. I sympathized with her as I realized the grief of life's end can be especially wrenching when hearts ache over a young life cut short. She … Continue reading Your Life’s Song
This lyric explores the many excuses we give for not showing the Gospel of God’s love to the lonely hearts we encounter every day. The story is based on the Bible’s New Testament parable or illustration of Jesus about a farmer who is sowing seeds. It can be found in the book of Matthew in … Continue reading Plant the Seed
This is a poem of reflection, as I share feelings of sadness with all those who have ever suffered a broken relationship, especially one of many years. One for me, one for you; It will never be the same, Dividing up the spoils of life As though it were a game. One for me, one … Continue reading One for Me, One for You
No matter your spiritual, philosophical, or political persuasion, I think we can agree that our erratically beating hearts yearn to be filled with an inner calmness--one that might spill over into a mindful peace in our hectic daily lives, and a workable peace for our very divided world. So I welcome you with the greeting, … Continue reading A Greeting of Peace
I always remember singing, even as a small child. Voices lifted in song and musical instruments being played were a part of who we were as a family. I became a member of my church choir at the age of fourteen, and continued to sing in various sanctuary choirs for over fifty years. A few … Continue reading Gone to Sing in the Master’s Choir
We should always be mindful that young children want to be like their parents (or other primary caregivers). That's the message of the following lyric especially for dads of boys. Just as little girls like to walk in the high heels of their moms, little boys relish scooting along in their daddies' seemingly gigantic shoes; … Continue reading Watch Your Step, Daddy
If you can imagine a guitar pickin' country song which pours out grief over a lost love while moving along to an easy tempo, give my modern ballad lyric a read and maybe even a listen should your head and your heart hear a melody which matches its soulfulness. Verse 1: When we were first … Continue reading Forever Is Such a Long Time
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
I'd like to share with you a Classy Gospel Lyric I've written about putting faith into action, showing that you really believe what you say you do. My lyric is based on the Old Testament story of Joshua who became the leader of the tribes of Israel after the patriarch Moses died. Joshua instructs the … Continue reading You Gotta Get Your Feet Wet!
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