The broiling air felt delicious after spending the morning in air conditioning. I sat in the shade of a grandfather oak in the backyard of a rental house. The Texas heat contained only trace amounts of humidity, so it felt as if a giant oven door tipped open. I relaxed in the Adirondack chair and …
On my walk this morning, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Gorgeous pansies, a deep velvety purple suitable for a king’s robe, as well as yellow ones with faces of pure sunshine, and orangey-red ones withered in a heap on the street. Twice I turned to go back, thinking of scooping up the best and planting …
It’s the strangest thing to step out the back door with mowers thrumming in the neighborhood and motorcycles zipping on the interstate a mile away then to spot a dark speck circling overhead. The form is a red-tailed hawk unexpected in this environment, but there he is lazing in curves. His eyesight amazes me. He …
Advent ponders Jesus first and second comings. Thinking about God coming as a babe makes me smile, but I rarely think about Jesus’ second coming. Usually that comes to mind when I’m weary of politics and violence or my failure to live faithfully. In those instances, I’m eager for “every knee to bow and every …
The nurse practitioner began pulling away, then rebounded, holding the stethoscope firmly to my chest. “Just a sec, I want to listen a little longer,” she said. “Okay.” I wait, conscious of her concentration, until she steps back to address me. “You know your heart just stopped.” “I’ve suspected that.” She continued, “It happens to my …