Father. A title that evokes joy or sadness, blame or gratitude, depending on your personal experience. One thing it does not evoke is indifference. Four weeks of Advent – four names of the Christ-child from the prophet Isaiah. And the third name is Everlasting Father....
Soft, adorable bundles of joy. Who doesn’t love sweet little babies? Vulnerable, helpless, and defenseless. They bring out the best in us, don’t they? Our instinct is to cuddle and protect them. To keep them safe and give them everything they need to stay healthy and...
Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. Since most of my friends know this, they either feed my passion or tease me about it. Either way, I relish the four weeks of Advent as a time of joyful expectation as I count down the days until we celebrate the Savior’s...
Someone once said that the worst moment for an atheist is when he is really thankful and has no one to thank. I don’t know if that’s true, since I’m not an atheist, but... I do know that I do have Someone to thank. Someone who is the source of every blessing,...
There’s something heart-warming about giving or receiving a Thank You. When someone tells us thank you, we feel acknowledged, affirmed, and appreciated. We’re encouraged to go the extra mile, to keep on truckin’, and to persevere through inconveniences. When we tell...
It’s only November 2nd, but I’ve been playing Christmas carols for a few weeks. And I’m looking forward to the start of the Hallmark channel Christmas movie weekend marathon that will begin this Friday. Yup, I’m one of those people. 😳 Hi, my name is Ava and I’m a...
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...
Are people with religious convictions the only ones who live by faith? Some say that’s a no-brainer. The answer is yes, and by the way, anyone with religious faith has no brains. That’s one answer. But the fact remains that every single person on the face of the earth...
Have you ever watched someone live with a terrible situation, and then said, “I could never do that”? I remember the words as if I had spoken them yesterday. My friend, Betty, was caring for her father-in-law during his terminal illness. He had moved in with them...
There’s a holiday for just about everything. In July alone, we have Teddy Bears’ Picnic Day (July 10), National Carousel Day (July 25), and Yellow Pig Day (July 17). But the one that gets me every year is the holiday that falls on July 7: National Tell the Truth Day....
National I Am in Control Day Church tradition commemorates the Thursday before Easter as “Maundy Thursday”—the...
Misconceptions About Love We want love. We need love. More than one thousand song titles contain the word love....
Every Day is Special Are you tired of all the clichés yet? New year. New start. Blank slate. Except that it...