It’s the Little Things That Matter
Sometimes all you need are a good buddy and a dandelion plucker. I ran into my Dad this week in one of the most unlikely places -- an antique auction in the middle of Amish country. We live within an hour's drive of my parents' house and I see them with some regularity, but this encounter was an unexpected delight. Dad was at the auction with...
Encourage and Be Encouraged
It was in writing out his "thanks" that he uncovered the depth and breadth of the Gift. At once, he knew. Were it not for this Gift -- her words of encouragement, her willingness to bend and follow his youthful wanderings, her determination to keep her student on the path he was meant to follow -- were it not for this Teacher, Mentor and...
Getting fit on Pepsi, Bud Light and McDonalds
Earlier this week, before the torrential rains, I spent a couple of hours gathering trash from the roadside near our house. Dragging a black garbage bag behind me, I dug through the ditches to retrieve treasures left for us by travelers up and down our country road. The trash had haunted me on my walks until I could no longer pass it by, so on...
When Words Fail
Words fail. While watching television news coverage of the bomb blasts that shook Boston on Monday, I can only sit and stare. Words fail to describe the knot in the gut as photographs of the injured flash on the screen, as I learn three people lost their lives, countless others lay in hospitals. Words fail as I try to grasp the level of hatred...
Saturday in the Valley
It's rainy and cold this morning, but the grass is turning green here in our valley. Daffodils are blooming along the creek bank and the field down the road has been disked. Soon, seed will be pressed into the furrows and the growing season will begin again. Thank the Lord Indiana winters turn into Indiana springtime, making it worth the wait....
Remembering the “Iron Lady”
I blinked back tears, surprised at the emotion stirred by the news. Margaret Thatcher has died. Prime Minister Thatcher was at the center of my 20-something love affair with Great Britain. I visited England twice in the early 1980s, invited by my childhood pen pal to spend a week in her home in Southampton. Mrs. Thatcher was a major celebrity...
When You Look Into Their Hearts
Come Friday, our nest will be a little emptier. Son Number Three will throw a few boxes and bags into his Jeep and head south, an eight-hour drive to Nashville -- the "country music" Nashville. Son Number Two waits for him there, along with freedom, challenges, new friends, a new job and untold new experiences. He's spent twenty years under...
“Music Soothes the Savage Beast” or Something Like That
I had no fear of turning 60, but I must admit I didn't expect to spend the momentous day laid low with a nasty stomach virus. At least I had the empathy of a six-year-old friend: "Oh, dear! " exclaimed my buddy when he found out I was sick. "Mrs. Lochamire won't be able to eat her birthday cake." No birthday cake this year, but I serve a GOOD...
Fellowship, Wonder and Rockets
There is so much on our Journey that warrants a reflective pause. In the weeks ahead, I plan to share some observations on a few of the simple pleasures that cross my path -- books, movies, music, food and, of course, people. *************************************** "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road,...
My Big, Fat Greek Getaway, Part 4
On the final evening of My Big, Fat Greek Getaway, I admit to feeling torn. I hear it is snowing in northern Indiana. It's chilly here, but I went to dinner in sandals. I miss my husband and my kids and I'm beginning to feel a little restless, but then again I also feel quite rested. My birthday vacation in Tarpon Springs, Florida has been a...