A friend entered eternity this week. She’d been an inspiration to me, her attitude toward life one of positive assurance that God would take care of her. She’d reared three children after her husband left to find other women, had worked as a fraternity cook for nearly three decades, and had walked the cancer journey […]
Historical
The Dogwood Has Bloomed
The dogwood has bloomed. The tree sits on a corner along the street I follow to get to my bank. Every year I anticipate the arrival of the flowers, waiting for the splash of white blossoms to stir my heart as I hurry down the thoroughfare. Not only is the sight breathtaking, it reminds me […]
The Simple Shamrock–God’s Tool for Truth
This post first appeared in FaithHappenings.com March 17, 2015 Did you remember to tuck your shamrock in your pocket this morning? Do you know the three-leafed clover was once used to teach the concept of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? If your memory hasn’t been nudged by these clues, it’s St. Patrick’s Day, named […]
Bidding A Mentor Farewell
Not long after I married, I decided to pursue my life long passion of writing. Two initial successes in well-known magazines followed. To further encourage me a friend invited me to attend a writing conference with her. The date was October 4, 1980. The speaker was Lee Roddy, a man whose writing career had moved […]
My Iranian Suitor
This is NOT a political post. Watching the news this week as reporters hashed and re-hashed the recent presidential order to prevent people from terrorist-infested nations entering our country, I was reminded of an incident that happened to me in the early 70’s. A recent graduate from college, I had landed a job in a […]
A New Era Dawns
Though our country is young in comparison to other nations of the world, the pomp and circumstance of a presidential inauguration struts all the grandeur of a republic conceived a millennia ago. In Daniel 2:21 the Bible gives God the credit. “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and […]
Tradition Reigns Parade
Touting their Christmas parade as the “oldest and coldest” in the Northwest, citizens of Springfield, Oregon once again marched down their main thoroughfare the first Saturday in December. Horses, bands, commercial floats and gaily dressed individuals sauntered beneath unseasonably blue skies and waved from warm perches, disproving the “coldest” mantra—at least this year. The weather […]
Honoring Freedom’s Fighters
The man who sat at the curb wore a veteran’s hat signifying his service. My family arrived at the annual Veterans Day Parade in Albany, Oregon just in time to grab the space behind him, a garbage can and a passel of children filling in the gaps on either side. He acted like a tour […]
A Kit in Time
The little package addressed to me arrived in the mail midweek. I didn’t recognize the return address, nor did I remember ordering anything so small. I forgot about it. The next day it still lay on the table. Curious about its origin, I picked it up and turned it over several times. I considered tossing […]
Run the Race to Win
Our local symphony launched its 2016-17 season recently, treating its audience to a rendition of Brahms’ sweeping Fourth Symphony, an orchestra piece the current conductor has waited to do since he began his term seven years earlier. The conductor will finish his contract with our local company this year and the audience will participate in […]