A knock tapped on the apartment door. At my current age I would ignore the knock, but at 21, newly married, in a new town without friends, someone at my door piqued my interest. I stood on my tiptoes and peered out the peephole. Shifting my gaze downward, I saw two small children. I opened …
Clay lay on his cot constructed with paracord and padded with evergreen boughs. Light slanted through the open door of his shelter. Clay had cut slender trees, hacked off their limbs, then erected a handsome lean-to in which he lay. He situated the shelter near water and foraged for berries. After chinking the cracks with …
“You should see it,” Mikey told his scout buddies. “Its handle is striped with different woods, and it’s hefty. And… it comes with a sheath to hang on your belt.” “Neat!” The guys said. “Wish I could get one. Is it a real Boy Scout knife?” One asked. “Yeah. It has the emblem right on …
“Suzanne, Come over here. I want to show you something,” my grandmother called out across the yard. She faced me in a clearing between two outbuildings with the laundry basket wedged on her hip. The clothes line where she hung dish towels drew a line in the air behind her. My grandparents lived out of …
We participated in an Ash Wednesday service last week unlike any other I’ve attended. There were no ashes, but the church’s choir sang parts with volume, clapping and swaying to the beat. The whole-person-worship worked me out of my comfortable rut. Then the preacher took the microphone and stood before his congregation. “Fasting without prayer …
We sat in a conference room with a dozen strangers. Every Saturday morning, this group of people met for prayer. My husband and I came to observe and see if we might fit with them. “Grab a copy of the prayer list,” the chaplain instructed. Someone picked up a paper and handed it to us. …
Lent 2023, Week 1: Entering the Wilderness Meditations Below you will find scripture readings followed by questions to ponder this week until next Tuesday’s blog. Some scriptures are provided. I also give my observations, but read them after you’ve come to your own conclusions. At the end I give an explanation why a forty day …
Lent Week One: Feb 22-27 Entering the Wilderness Read More »
I pulled a bowl of warmed chili from the microwave. The clock reminded me that I must leave in ten minutes for a volunteer job. I gulped down a spoonful, but the phone interrupted with a beep and triple vibrations stressing the message’s importance, Buzzzzz, Buzzzz, Buzzzz. These startle me once a month or so …
Panic jolts up my scalp. Where am I? I drove this a route several times before, from my university to Fort Hood to see my fiancé. I am somewhere near the halfway point based on time, but at this moment, I cannot find my bearings. Did I pass the turn, or does it still lay …
Various items lay on the bed next to an overnight bag. Among the items are a hair brush, a nightgown with the tag still attached, and a tiny outfit covered with puppies. Though this expectant mom packs for her second child, she needs to prepare for him as if he were her firstborn. Remembering what …
Flowers of every color adorn the cross. It is gorgeous but only a memory now. As I gaze at the photo, I reflect on Lent and Easter. Each year is different, though my goals remain the same, to love God more dearly and sincerely. This Lent I resolved to take up two actions and give …
Ash Wednesday came and went yesterday. Some may wonder why I haven’t written anything about Lent this year. I feel like I’ve been in a season of Lent since this time last year. Racial tensions, politics and even the mask issue revealed many opportunities for recognizing and repenting of sin. The pandemic also mandated giving up …