Not too many years ago our city of Springfield, Oregon was embroiled in a controversy over allowing a new medical facility, Peace Health Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend, to be built near the juncture of I-5 and the city limits, not far from a community hospital already serving the community. Riverbend won the dispute […]
Historical
Launching Another Book
When the National Oceanic and Aeronautics Administration decided to move its headquarters in Bellevue, Washington to Newport, Oregon in 2009, the agency created quite a stir in the coastal community. My son, who had studied Marine Biology at the Hatfield Marine Science Center a few years before, knew many of the people named as […]
Reunion Time
I’ve always enjoyed family reunions. As a child I remember anticipating the summer reunion every July at Jasper Park. As a fifth generation descendant of Cornelius Hills, who settled in the Willamette Valley in 1848 and who developed one of the first 640-acre land claims in the area, I was expected to come and join […]
Book Pick for Summer Reading
Karen Barnett’s latest release, Where the Fire Falls, published by Waterbrook Multnomah, has everything a reader could hope for in an historical account—the beautiful setting of Yosemite National Park, engaging characters, a touch of mystery, and a love story. A surefire mix of elements for an intriguing tale. It’s 1929 and Yosemite National Park is in […]
Mothers and Others
Not everyone looks forward to Mother’s Day. For the woman who never married, or never conceived, or who lost one of her children, Mother’s Day can be a painful twenty-four hours—hours in which she simply tries to journey through. She feels de-valued, unappreciated for who she is, as if she is an “also ran” in a […]
From Photo to Novel
This week Facebook sent me a memory from five years ago that I had forgotten. The picture was one I’d obtained with permission from the Bureau of Land Management. It featured a lone stallion standing on a grassy knoll looking out at the camera. His caramel color, long black mane and tail, and the spidery […]
I Can Only Imagine–A reaction
I remember the tears. I was driving home several years ago when a new song by a group known as Mercy Me aired on the radio. The disc jockey said it was getting good reviews and making waves. As I listened to the words, emotion overwhelmed me. The songwriter asked questions I’d only pondered before. […]
Conquering Death
The last three days had been horrible. The man with whom they’d spent three years traveling Judah had been arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. He’d been dragged off by soldiers and brought before the Sanhedrin. Accused of blasphemy, he was sent on to Pilate. The Roman ruler didn’t know what to make of Jesus. […]
Hosanna!
He stood at the top of the Mount of Olives, near Beth phage, looking down upon the city of Jerusalem. People were pouring in from all parts of Judah to celebrate the Jewish Feast of Passover. He and his company of men had come to do the same. Nothing about the tranquil scene suggested […]
Meet Author Ronie Kendig
One of the best parts of being a writer is meeting other writers, people with whom I would have no other common ground than that we all like to play with words. One of those writers is Ronie Kendig, a self-described Army brat, who writes what I would call military thrillers. Kendig was the featured […]