A Father's Mercy

Daddy was an unusual person. He grew up in an era when cowboys were real. His favorite memory was a cattle drive with his father and his best friend. His was a life of responsibility and a no-nonsense approach to whatever needed to be done.

“It All Starts With A Stand-Off ”

Husband has had a horrible time at work that day. Feeling kicked around, unappreciated and definitely out of sorts, he pulls into the driveway, only to find that his three-year-old has left her tricycle blocking the garage door… again.

Thinking Out Loud

When I was five, a great and mighty, awesome, dark river surged swiftly onward not far from the front door of my house. When I was ten, my river, similar to a magic pumpkin, had changed into a babbling brook interspersed with stones large enough for running flying leaps, and splashing wet landings.

“The Pain And The Healing Of The Wounded”

Yep, it’s been a really tough few years for everyone. In just about every possible conceivable way. Financially, physically, and emotionally, and it hasn’t really mattered how old or young you are – life has stunk in a lot of ways.

Your Finest Hour!

What phrase shall I use? Congratulations? Best wishes? Finally? Free at last? We’re proud of you? God bless you? We thought this day would never come? Other similar greetings could be chosen. My choice is: “Congratulations and welcome to your new world.”

Where’d They All Go?

One of the greatest mysteries in recent archaeology history is a structure found buried for centuries in southeast Turkey. Gobekli Tepe is a twenty-acre site constructed around 9500-8800 BC and abandoned about 8000 BC. No one knew of it until 1963. Where’d they all go?

Peeling an Onion?

Healthy grieving takes time and emotional effort to learn about ourselves, about our family, and about how we are created. Helen Keller wrote, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it.”

What Causes So Much Sadness?

An elderly man sat near the back row for Sunday morning worship. His wife, daughter, and his mother-in-law sat to his left. There were more seats available to his right. He was hopeful that his son would be there. He hadn’t been there in years.

“Tiny Tyrant Never Been Spanked – And It Shows”

You can see a lot standing in the checkout line at Walmart. Waiting patiently, your mind occupied while you run through your to-do list for the rest of the day, you are abruptly jolted back into reality by a preschooler.

Coping with Anniversaries

Thinking Out Loud: Memories of Lingering Loss The older we get the more friends and family members we lose through death. Within the period of three months, I lost three loved ones. Two of them died three days apart.