The first Monday in September was officially designated a day of rest for American workers by five states in 1887. Prior to that, protests demanding better working conditions for employees were first recorded in New York City in 1882. My home state of Oregon was among the first five states to recognize the need […]
General
- Faith Matters
- ...
When Does This Book Become the Last?
I didn’t set out to write seven books. In fact, as a trained journalist, I didn’t believe I was capable of writing one. My specialty was creating four hundred word essays in under fifteen minutes. That’s what journalists do in order to make a publishing deadline. Write quick, brisk, concise copy for a waiting audience. […]
Proud Makes the Peacock
Breakfast was over. Church would begin in a quarter hour. I savored my cup of coffee while staring out our kitchen window at the bird sanctuary on the other side of the glass. In my line of sight a huge bulking mass of feathers appeared at the top of the fence. I blinked. What the. […]
Another Trip Around the Sun
Last week I turned a year older. Another trip around the sun completed. My left knee woke me that morning as though putting a time stamp on the day. A reminder that with increased age comes surprises of a physical nature—not all of them welcome. What new adventures will this year bring? I have known […]
They thought themselves abandoned
Scattered. Alone. Abandoned. They’d seen their leader arrested. Watched him be tried. Saw him nailed to a cross. Heard his final cries. Witnessed his death. Now what? Disillusioned, they waited. He’d said he’d never leave them or forsake them. But they were left behind. Until Sunday morning, when Mary Magdalene, the other Mary and Joanna […]
- Faith Matters
- ...
To Leave A Legacy
This week my husband lost a relative who will be dearly missed. At every reunion he sought this man out, sat and shared stories with him for hours, and went home rejuvenated by his time in the man’s company. The man always had a story to tell, a testimony to share, or a bit of […]
When A Kitten Cries
I confess. When a kitten meows mournfully outside my window, or from a tree in the yard, I’m putty in its paws. My nurturing heart races to find the source of the wail. The kitten knows its spell over me, staring at me with those wide innocent eyes, that sweet little chin full of […]
- General
- ...
Leave My Sleep Alone
Insomnia is a recurring problem for many. The older I get the more I am bothered by the condition. I have friends who report successive nights of being awake at 3 a.m., the elusive sleep genie nowhere to be found. One acquaintance turned the wide awake hours into a productive endeavor. She thought of all […]
When Waging War, Study Squirrels
When my husband retired, it took him a while to adjust to his new life. Finding things to do wasn’t a problem, prioritizing them was. One thing he especially enjoyed was spending more time feeding the birds in our backyard. We gave him a sophisticated new bird feeder to encourage his hobby and he went […]
Choosing a Clean Sweep for 2022
When 2022 rolled around I wanted change in my life. The years 2020 and 2021 had taken their toll. I felt burned out, my muse struggled, and my words wouldn’t come. My blog suffered for lack of content, but my mind had literally come to a standstill. Nothing found inspiration, my writing dead in the […]