The weatherman predicted a downpour here today for the 67th Springfield Oregon Christmas Parade, an event that boasts it is the oldest and coldest parade in the nation. But despite the warning, people flocked to the curbs along the streets and endured a mild drizzle for about a half hour before the rain gave it […]
Faith Matters
When Holidays Hurt
My sister died July 1, 2018. No warning. No extended illness. No freak accident. The only memory that remains is the frantic call from my brother-in-law to tell me the news. Like a pebble tossed on a lake that leaves a brief ripple upon the water, then disappears, the event passed. No goodbyes. No closure. […]
Make Someone’s Day
Today I stopped to pick up some groceries on my way home from a haircut. The store seemed busy. When I went to check out, I found all available checkers engaged. I pulled into the most likely line to finish first and soon discovered my mistake. At the register stood a woman with a pile […]
A Friend’s Importance
Changes in life are inevitable. Solomon spoke of those in Ecclesiastes 3 where he said, “To everything there is a season, a purpose for everything under heaven.” To lose someone in your life, even if it is only through a change of location, can leave you feeling empty. That happened to me and two of my friends […]
A Day in the Life. . .
This week promised to be a busy one from its onset, but as the days progressed I found myself more and more overwhelmed. The dentist appointment and the critique group meeting were already on the agenda, but then came the audio book edits—all fourteen chapters of them. My agent was waiting for the finished proposal […]
Book Pick–Author Lauraine Snelling
Few books that I read merit my attention to the point of me saying,“ I couldn’t put it down.” This week, though, I finished book one in the series Under Northern Skies by Lauraine Snelling, The Promise of Dawn. I have to say this story was one that kept me eager to sit and read […]
Sand in the Hourglass
The e-mail stopped my heart. Sent from a dear friend, his quiet words shouted despair. Old injuries and chronic illness were claiming his wife’s life. The marriage bond between them spanned sixty-eight years. How does one say goodbye to someone loved that long? I’d known the man since college. He’d been a professor at the […]
A Ray of Hope
This week while shopping for groceries in a busy store filled with after-Labor-Day customers, I noticed a tall, thin, elderly man with nothing in his basket except a dozen eggs, a gallon of milk, and a loaf of bread. Lines were long and the noise deafening as most shoppers pushed carts overflowing with their […]
Book Pick #4–Author Richard Spillman
Few speculative fiction books with frightening content make the grade for my to-be-read pile, but this one’s premise captured my interest from the beginning. I’ve long known the biblical account of Lazarus, the man whom Jesus rose from the dead, but I’ve never considered what might have happened to that man after his encounter […]
After A Conference
This week I had the privilege of attending the Oregon Christian Writers conference at the Jantzen Beach Red Lion in Portland, Oregon. Featured speakers included Brian Bird who writes screenplays for the popular Hallmark Sunday night movie, When Calls the Heart and Francine Rivers, who is a best-selling, multi-published […]