Life, Death, Resurrection

Life Bitterroot. Surprise Lilies. Two plants in nature that know resurrection. Both deliver leaves in early spring, then die back.  Dead as a doornail…or so it seems. Two or three months later, a stem of the bitterroot and surprise lily sprouts from the ground and pretty white, pink or purple flowers come to life. Resurrection of a sort. I suppose you can say that the plant never really died, it simply found new life after a long nap. Scientifically, bothRead more

#SoCS: Yellow Bird

“Yellow bird, up high in banana tree.Yellow bird, you sit all alone like me. Did your lady friend leave the nest again?That is very sad, makes me feel so bad.You can fly away, in the sky away.You’re more lucky than me.“ A childhood memory. From grade school. When my classmates and I were given songs to sing in unison. The boys hated this one. I loved it. Choucoune is a lyrical poem written by Oswald Durand in 1883 that praisesRead more

Be Who You Are

Cheers to being who you are! The title of this post comes from a Sunday sermon, but I’m not here to impose Jesus upon you – although, what I’m about to say not only comes from who I am, but also from my spiritual heart. Many of you know who I am to some degree – Biker chick (both Harley and bicycle); cat lover; animal lover; beer and chocolate taste-tester; lover of outdoors and all things Star Trek and NCIS;Read more

Visible in Love

“What if the only example of God’s love your neighbor will ever see is you?” ~Pastor Shawn Whitworth~ For Christians and non-Christians alike, loving a neighbor or another human being can be difficult at times. We are humans, after all, with egos, steadfast opinions, self-righteousness, fearfulness and unwarranted condemnation that allow us to flow along with inappropriate behavior toward others rather than love unconditionally. During Easter week, I am reminded that Christ died for our sins and gave us eternalRead more

The Path of Choice

  Trails of recreation paths of molten black and quarry jewels lined with viridescent birch, oak, evergreen burgundy maple, crimson sumac bodies of blue-green lake and river Lanes of wandering city paths of urban concrete and paint edged with manicured lawns, perennial color nouveau riche grandeur, facades of long ago structures of brick, mortar, steel, glass Roadways of speed racer paths of the fast and serious  hemmed with gravel and shaking grass topography careening by miles of twists, turns, incline,Read 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

Don’t Fret the Wrinkles

“Are you really who you say you want to be?” ~John Pavlovitz~ The woman in the photo may be worrying about the answer. Is she who she wants to be? Or simply worried about a pimple? Fretting over a wrinkle? Upset that her compact will not tell her she’s the fairest? What if that’s who she wants to be? The fairest… And she’s not? In the context of John’s quote, he had asked the question, “What is the way forwardRead more

Joy on the Mountain

This is it. The fifth and final week of the Christmas Carol one-liners. I’m ending the series with two songs and not many words. There are links to the lyrics (click on the title of the song) and a short blurb of its origin from Wikipedia. Feel free to read as much or as little as you desire…or simply enjoy the Christmas music because you know that it will soon be gone from radio and TV, and either the coldRead more

A Bee’s Life

Busy as a bee That’s me Can’t you see? Somewhat of a crime  Always filling time Giving reason to rhyme Must do everything The brain sings Harried schedule rings Want to read a book Bicycle past a brook Engage in gobbledygook Want to socialize Take time to spiritualize But not mathemetize Want to visit mom Engage in Trek geekdom Sample a taproom Want to curry rice Add a little spice To others be nice Need to go work out ToRead more

#WATWB: Snowballs and Hospice

From Wikipedia: Hospice care is a type of care and philosophy of care that focuses on the palliation of a chronically ill, terminally ill or seriously ill patient’s pain and symptoms, and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs. In Western society, the concept of hospice has been evolving in Europe since the 11th century. The modern concept of hospice includes palliative care for the incurably ill given in such institutions as hospitals or nursing homes, but also care provided toRead more

A Cherished Memory of Sue

I always struggle with choosing a personal item for the annual Cherished Blogfest. I tend to feel that “items” are never more important than the people in my life, never holding a value high enough to call it cherished. Except this year is different. A good friend of mine passed away in September from cancer. She battled this horrible disease for a year with unstoppable courage, daily prayer and a beautiful smile on her face. And she left the legacy ofRead more