June is traditionally the month for weddings. All the planning and expenses come together for a grand beginning as two people join their lives together. If only we put as much effort into preparing for the marriage as we do preparing for the wedding. For most of my...
Wildlife has been especially wild lately. Although June is barely two weeks old, a decapitated rattlesnake bit a Texas man. An alligator killed a Florida woman. And in Minnesota, an unidentified wild animal killed a five-year-old boy. Last month a hungry cougar killed...
Suffering is hard. So we work just as hard—if not harder—to avoid it. We don’t want to talk about it. And we run away from it. We devise detours that often end up causing even more complications. Of course, no one wants to suffer. It’s even more difficult when we have...
What’s one of the most common reasons we give for not forgiving others? If you’re like many people, you might have answered that our forgiveness implies approval or tolerance of the behavior. We read about it, talk about it, and teach it. Yet for most of us, forgiving...
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...
When we relocated from the northeast to Florida, one of the things we missed most was the change of seasons. Native Floridians quickly advised us that instead of winter, spring, summer, and fall, our seasons are snowbird, love bug, summer, and hurricane. While the...
Have you recently experienced frustration? Something or someone irritated you? Plans didn’t go your way? That seems to be happening more lately. Increased seasonal traffic annoys me. People who don’t follow through on what they said they would do end up frustrating...
When Hurricane Irma blew through south Florida last September, we were fortunate not to sustain damage to our home. But the natural environment did not fare as well. Trees toppled all around us. Hurricane force winds snapped off branches and uprooted trees. Root balls...
A new word for a new year. A word I knew—last September—would be my focus for 2018. Last year, my One Word was hope. Holding on to hope carried me through a difficult period. Hope held fear at bay when hubby was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Hope carried me—and...
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...
Walking in the Light When It’s Dark Have you ever been in a situation where you were walking in a well-lit...
Spiritual Heroes and Practical Obedience Have you heard the story about a man who escapes his boring life by...
Spiritual Growth When God is Silent I don’t usually do well with long periods of silence . . . especially when...