Barbecue, watermelon, flags—all signs that Memorial Day is upon us. For many the weekend signals the start of summer in the United States. Unless, of course, you are among the many states this year still plagued with snowfall and low temperatures in May. Summer may come a little later for you. Traditionally Memorial Day, […]
Historical
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 […]
Not the End of the Story
Now that the chocolate bunnies and candy eggs are eaten, the hard-boiled eggs made into sandwich spread, and the ads on television have turned toward Mother’s Day, our culture has tidily tucked away all remnants of Easter until it returns April 9, 2023. The story of the resurrection, though, didn’t end when Jesus walked out […]
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 […]
Hosanna to the King
For me, the event of Palm Sunday is a sobering one. I imagine Jesus at the top of the Mount of Olives near Beth Phage looking down at Jerusalem, knowing that entering the city will be His final act. He won’t leave alive. God sent Him to earth for a reason. To fulfill his destiny […]
Spring Arrives Sunday
Though where you live will determine how spring arrives on Sunday, the day represents a benchmark for the change of season. Some of you are still ankle deep in snow while others are donning t-shirts and flip-flops. All sorts of astronomical explanations abound for the phenomenon, but it’s safe to say spring is here. The […]
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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 in Babylon
I’ve always held a quiet reverence for Daniel of the Bible, who, along with his friends, was taken captive and transported to Babylon under the rule of king Nebuchadnezzar—young Hebrews suddenly thrust into a culture quite different from their own. The foods, the rules, the dress were all strange to them. Yet they refused to […]
An Autumn Hello
This week we bid goodbye to summer. I confess I’m not sorry to see it go. This series of days between June and September has been unusually hot, long, and dry. Oregon summers typically aren’t like that, so enduring this non-ending chain of boiling afternoons and humid evenings has taxed all of us. I’m hoping […]
Life After Trouble
When my daughter first graduated high school, she continued her art studies with a private tutor who was a student at the University of Oregon. Instead of going home to New Hampshire at the end of each spring term, the tutor opted to stay because she said Oregon summers were delightful. I wonder what she’d […]