With Open Wings

As I sit on a cloudy afternoon, listening to a feline snore, I think of the past few days and the people I truly adore. I feel the love of family and friends and the season of His birth. The hugs, the smiles and hopeful wishes for peace on this great, colorful earth. Surrounded by a gentle spirit and the gift of open wings, the knowing glance of an expectant child while the church emphatically sings. Never mind the giftsRead more

Sing Christmas!

I’ve been at it since before Thanksgiving, the Christmas singing. At home. At work. In the car. Probably to the consternation of those who don’t appreciate a sometimes off-key alto. Don’t care, though. I love music, but especially the Christmas kind. Spreading cheer and good news. Singing about Santa, but most often about the newborn King. Pentatonix, Michael Buble, Chris Tomlin, For King and Country, Trans Siberian Orchestra, and more. The classics and the modern. Fast and slow. Uplifting andRead more

Separating Faith and Government

In early November, 2012, prior to the Presidential election,  I left a church I had been attending. Inside the weekly bulletin was a sheet of paper, with both political candidates named, comparing where they stood on certain issues. It was an obvious attempt by the leaders of that church to sway my vote to what they considered the moral “Christian” vote. Excuse me? My political stance is no business of any church. I walked out that Sunday, fuming, never toRead more

“Gee, that was stupid!”

“The words we use for ourselves and others have weight.” So said one of the worship team members a couple of Sundays ago. It’s a call for us to respect ourselves and others in what comes out of our mouth. To not call ourselves, spouses, friends, or family bad names. To grant peace to our neighbors and our negative thoughts. To verbalize love and acceptance to self and the human community. Overcoming religious, political, economic and ethnic differences when weRead more

The Root of Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all theRead more

#WATWB: An Artistic Mission

For this month’s We are the World Blogfest, I’m sharing a link to a post I published in August of 2016. I’ll give you a few minutes to read HERE and come back to the present. UPDATE: Arts Camp is going stronger than ever and there have been a few changes of note since 2016. In 2018, approximately 430 kids signed up for Arts Camp and this year there were about 535. The program keeps growing! It continues to be aRead more

Waiting in Line

“Patience is not simply the ability to wait – it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.” ~Joyce Meyer~ Do you have patience while waiting in line? At the grocery store? Buying a concert or theater ticket? Stuck in rush-hour traffic or at the DMV? Ladies…the overly busy restroom? It’s okay if your answer is no, I don’t always have patience either. There are days when I don’t behave well while waiting – participating in the sucking-of-teeth thing, followed by aRead more

Better Than a Food Journal

Recently, my friend Heather, or MOSY as she is known in blogging circles, wrote a wonderful piece on having Gratitude. She beat me to the punch. I had intended, ever since Mother’s Day, to write on the same subject. It was on May 12th that I started a Gratitude Journal, one in which I would write down three things I was grateful for, every day. So far, so good. Keeping a gratitude journal is easier than keeping a food journalRead more

#WATWB: The Light of Hope and Restoration

Construction on the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris began in 1160 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and was largely complete by 1260, though it was modified frequently in the following centuries. Over the next 859 years, Notre Dame was desecrated during the French Revolution, progressively stripped of original decoration, works of art and religious imagery, and considered for demolition after the Napoleonic Wars. On the evening of April 15, 2019, while undergoing renovation and restoration, the roof of Notre-Dame caughtRead more

Gravy Goes With Everything

My earliest memory of Pauline was of her standing on top of a chair, screaming as a mouse ran across the floor. This would not have been the usual, stoic, keep-it-together mom that was obvious to me later in life. I do not remember other episodes of this woman being hysterical, losing it to furry critters or when life was a bit topsy-turvey. I seldom saw my mother sweat, but perhaps growing up the youngest girl in a family ofRead more

Faithfully Home

  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7 Mom found her way home last Friday, February 15, 2019. Home to her family of 15, home to her husband Evan, and home to her Savior, Jesus Christ. It was time for the dementia to take a hike and for Pauline to feel freedom from her physical restraints. Mom went peacefully in her sleep, a blessing that most of us desire whenRead more

Fifty-Five Years Later

Originally posted on Mary J Melange:
He had a dream. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” Here we are, fifty-five years later. While there have been advancements in civil rights since Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech in 1963, our country remains embroiled in the bigotry of non-acceptance. Not by all of its…