Growing Older May Require Adjustments, but It Does Not Require Surrender
Good morning, readers. Before we begin, did you take your medication today? Go ahead. Run and do that. I’ll wait. Good. Now that’s done, and your glass of ice water is sitting beside you, it is story time. This morning, I stood in front of the mirror…
Meeting Pooh’s Pet Snake: Why You Shouldn’t Judge Until You Look Face-to-Face
My granddaughters, Chrissy and Rye, both have pet snakes. I have to admit, when the two of them proudly announced, “I have a pet snake,” I questioned my daughters’ parenting skills. “Chrissy, what are you going to do with a snake?” “He’s my pet.” I just…
The Sound of the Midnight Train: Reflections on Melancholy, Memory, and Growing Older
Melancholy. What a strange word. It can mean longing, reflection, sadness, the memory of times past. In living my life, it is not a word I have given much thought. Yet here I am, in the midst of what I suppose would be called melancholy. There is a train…
The Covered Wagon in 1931: How My Grandmother’s Journey Bridged Two Different Worlds
One small brush with mortality can pull open the drawers of the mind and shove every hidden emotion into the room. So here we go. Driving today, looking at the view rising ahead along the highway, I found my thoughts coming fast and furious. No, I was…
Remission Is Not Intermission: Finding Peace After the Cancer Scans Stop
It is coming up on three years since this health journey arrived and moved into my life without asking permission. Since then, I have made changes. I have tried to remain consistent. I have eaten differently, moved more, taken the pills, worn the mask,…
You Can’t Outrun the Truth: Why Repentance Changes Everything
“In the beginning was the Word.” Before the universe moved, before light broke across the darkness, before water gathered and land rose, the Word was already there. John begins his Gospel with language that reaches behind Genesis itself: John 1:1–3 In…
“Neglected, Not Gone”: Why the Good Old Days Are Less About Nostalgia and More About Faith
Every now and then, a song will sneak up on you. I was thinking about that old Judds song, “Grandpa,” and the line about the good old days. At first, it is easy to think the song is talking about old cars, dirt roads, front porches, and simpler times.…
“That’s a Little Spicy”: A Cautionary Tale of Red Pepper Flakes, Pride, and Poor Kitchen Decisions
Tonight’s dinner started like any other, with a sigh and the familiar question: What is on the menu? I hate waste, and there were some pinto beans waiting in the refrigerator. I figured they could be dressed up a little and thrown onto a…
The Missing Ring, the Wrong Coffee, and the Blue Screen: What a “Bad Day” Taught Me About Perspective
Some days, you get off work and head home. You stop at the market and discover they are out of your favorite brand of coffee. You sigh, take the second choice, make your purchase, and leave. As you are making your way out of the parking lot, some idiot…
“You Are Missing the Big Picture”: What Surviving Cancer and Cardiac Arrest Taught Me About the End Times
Every day, I take time to sit before my computer and write. It is becoming a habit, putting words down to help wake up my mind. Sometimes it is morning, and sometimes it is late afternoon. I work the night shift three nights a week, so the hours of the…