Every day of the Christmas season is magical when you’re eight years old. Bright lights, colorful decorations, dazzling trees, gaily-wrapped gifts, and mouth-watering treats combine to create an enchanting time from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. During my...
In honor of Thanksgiving, I considered writing a post about all the things for which I’m thankful. Then I considered writing a post about all the things for which others should be thankful. But I decided to get ultra-personal. Those who know me personally know my...
Thankfulness is good for the soul. And it’s especially fashionable to be thankful during the month of November. But how far back do you have to go to find something to thank God for? Do you find yourself casting back on old memories? Searching experiences from your...
I have a love-hate relationship with clocks. When I was a child, my parents always set our clocks five minutes fast, supposedly to help prevent us from being late to appointments. It never worked. We were always late…to everything. Despite the ineffectiveness of the...
Fall…the time when (in places other than Florida!) nature dons flamboyant garb as God paints His world with vibrant colors. Lush, supple leaves in shades of green gradually change color until the green is just a memory, replaced by vivid red, yellow, and orange. But...
Ever hear someone refer to God as a crutch? Something only weak people need to lean on to get through life? I’ve always found that argument irrational, all the more so when promoted by people who practically worship rationality. It implies that weakness is the...
Remember the song, “Tall Oaks from Acorns Grow”? It’s a cute children’s song—one I hadn’t thought of in decades…until I began catching up on long overdue yardwork. For the past 2 years, circumstances have caused me to neglect our yard. Shrubs grew wild and leggy....
Been thinking about labels lately. How we assign them to ourselves and to others. Of all the seasons of my life, junior high school was the most painful. Labels ruled and cliques reigned. You were labeled if you belonged to a group and labeled if you didn’t. Smart....
One of my favorite memories is that of my mother reading to me from a book of fairy tales. Cinderella, Ali Baba, Sleeping Beauty, and other characters came to life through the sound of her voice. As I listened to their adventures, each character seemed as real as any...
It’s hurricane season in Florida. With every new tropical disturbance identified in the Atlantic Ocean, Florida residents play the “What if?” game. What if a hurricane strikes us again? What if we experience similar flooding to the Carolinas? And the what-ifs extend...
Random Acts of Kindness Have you noticed that kindness seems more significant when it occurs randomly? Maybe...
National Umbrella Day Brolly, gamp, bumbershoot—all British terms for something better known to most of us as...
Not Enough Time? It happened again. I lost a whole month. Four-and-a-half weeks. Thirty-one days. More than...