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....
Is it possible to age gracefully? What does that even mean? Been thinking recently about aging. It may have something to do with the fact that I’ve reached another milestone birthday. In a culture that worships youth, I wonder how long it will be before I become a...
This is an odd week. No business meetings. No school. No medical appointments. No expectancy. Christmas is past, the new year not yet arrived. A week of suspended activity. But it’s just another week, isn’t it? Another seven days like any other seven days? Yet it’s...
If there’s one thing in short supply these days, it’s hope. Politicians promise, but fail to deliver on their promises. Family members make commitments, but disappoint us. Terrorists strike with seeming impunity. Jobs are scarce, money is tight, and the more we wish...
I did it again. Sigh. You’d think I would be more careful. But for several weeks, clean up from Hurricane Irma has required us to step into overgrown areas to clear downed trees. Those overgrown spaces were also full of Brazilian pepper vines. For those who are not...
Are you in God’s waiting room? Have you been praying for something, on hold for an answer, hoping for your circumstances to change? I confess, waiting is not my favorite activity. And right now, I’m waiting for something especially critical…test results of a loved...
Kindness is a virtue most of us appreciate and many of us aspire to. You may have heard about the practice of random acts of kindness. It supposedly began in 1982 when Anne Herbert scrawled the words "practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty" on a...
What makes one person a prisoner of hope, while another is mired in hopelessness? My “one word” for 2017 is hope, so I’m especially attuned to this word this year. And the subject came up again during a recent lunch with a friend. She asked me how to become a...
Today is the 103rd anniversary of the first electric traffic system installed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1914. Four sets of red and green lights told drivers when to stop and go. The Cleveland Automobile Club praised the system, saying they expected that it was “destined...
“I can’t wait till things get back to normal.” Have you said those words recently? Normal. The good old days. A slower pace. Less hectic. Fewer troubles. Happier times. Not like it is today. Today has health problems. Doctor appointments. Conflicts. Struggles to find...
How Do You Handle Interruptions? Interruptions used to be the exception. Or at least, that’s the way it seemed....
Bearing Each Other’s Burdens Without Enabling The season of giving has begun. Giving thanks. Giving gifts. And...
Are You Mastered or a Masterpiece? Did you know my bio is recorded in the Bible? Yup! Paul described me to a T...