Talking about beginnings seems especially appropriate during the month of January. A new month. A new year. And in this case, a new decade. The Bible also starts with “In the beginning” (Genesis 1:1). "In the beginning, God created…." We’ve heard those words so many...
My One Word for 2020: Attentive
Do you make new year’s resolutions? I used to, but they never lasted more than a few months at the most. A few years ago, I began adopting one word to focus on throughout the year as a substitute for resolutions. One word that would apply to multiple areas of my life....
Reflection and Taking Spiritual Inventory
When I was in high school, I worked in the toy department of a department store. Twice a year, we prepared for an outside firm to take inventory. We worked with these teams to count every item on the shelves, and I do mean every item. We even included incomplete or...
Joy to the World
The gifts are wrapped and tagged. Cookies are baked and decorated. I’ve watched Christmas made-for-TV movies until even I’ve had enough…and that’s saying something! Yes, I’m one of those people. You know, the ones who play Christmas carols in July and put up their...
They’re Not Just Christmas Carols
What puts a song in your heart? Your favorite playlist?Your wedding song?Christmas carols? One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season is the music. You may be tired of hearing Christmas carols that have already been playing since Halloween. For many, the joy of...
More Than a Baby Jesus
I love Christmas. The music, lights, and decorations. Trees with their ornaments, Christmas villages, and especially nativity scenes. Of all my Christmas decorations, my favorite is a large tabletop display that includes a manger set in the midst of a hustling,...
Complaints About Christmas
You may be reading this on Thanksgiving, but complaints about Christmas already abound. Have you heard them? Christmas has become too commercial! Actually, this one isn’t really new. Remember the 1947 classic movie, Miracle on 34th Street? More than 70 years ago,...
Thankful It Takes a Village for Adults, Too
Regardless of your political persuasion or opinion of the author of a book by a similar title, I’ve learned “it takes a village” for adults, too. It’s been more than a year since I experienced the most significant loss of my life. The loss of my better half left me...
Lessons from a Weed
Some say a weed is just a plant flourishing where you don’t want it to grow. The plant I gazed at certainly fit that description. Its tender green leaves and slim stem contrasted with the smoky-blue Florida sky as it grew in the gutter on my roof. Definitely a place I...
Things Aren’t Always What They Seem
Autumn is here. Splashes of red, orange, and gold punctuating a green canopy. Falling leaves blanketing lawns. A nip in the air and hot apple cider on the stove (or in the microwave!). Sweaters and scarves become go-to accessories. Or not. Here in south Florida, the...
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