The Test Garden
I had a dream. God returned me to the “test garden” at the arboretum. There was something I missed seeing when I was there that He wanted to show me. He pointed out to me the wilted flowers, the plants that weren’t doing so well. (Click here for more)
Dragonfly
A year from now Lindsey will be flying away
– off to college a couple of hours from home. I’ve tried to
imagine what that will be like… to fall asleep at night without her in
the bedroom just above me, to move around the house in the morning
without calling upstairs… “Lindsey – for the third time, you’d better
get up or you’ll be late for school,” or to eat a meal with one less
seat occupied at the dining room table. Where did the years
go? (Click here for more)
Second
Chances
In the few seconds that I sat at
the light watching her, my heart was moved for her. I felt an
overwhelming need to do something to
make her day a
little brighter. I wanted very much to
get out of the car, to walk over and speak with her and to give her a
small
gift. But when the light turned green I
had to choose.
(Click
here for more)
A Light Bulb for
the Lord
Before
the kids grabbed the ornaments. I took one final look at the
lights.
Then a giant light bulb went off (in my head). Wow. When
we’re
at church, we’re like a clump of light bulbs – shining brightly.
Yet God intended us to carry our light a little further – beyond the
doors
of the church. So He moves a strand of lights a little this way –
and gives birth to a Bible study group.
(Click
here for more)
A
Better Listener
Did
you catch that? I TURNED THE VOLUME UP! Wow. That
stinks.
Can you believe I responded to my son like that when all he wanted was
for me to listen? I looked at his face in the rearview mirror.
His
expression showed disappointment and hurt. I was ashamed that I’d
chosen to listen to a CD over listening to my son. (Click
here for more)
Gifts
From A Father
A child
was born, the father – celebrating new life – planted rows of pine
trees.
Five more children would follow. With each new birth, the father
returned to his sanctuary in the woods and planted more trees.
Today,
those trees stand tall and proud… a living symbol of a father’s love. (Click
here for more)
Home
One
evening I was sitting on my parent’s porch watching the sun disappear
behind
the treetops. I saw my Dad open the barn doors, then heard the
familiar
sound of his John Deere tractor starting up. Above the noise he
yelled
out to my son, “Hey – want to go for a ride?” (Click
here for more)
The
Lord's Prayer
When
I pray I don’t normally recite prayers, I just pour my heart out to
God.
But this time as I was praying I heard Him speak to me. He said,
‘Say the Lord’s Prayer.’ Since I already screwed up so badly – I
thought I’d better listen. I began… “Our Father which art in
heaven,
Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come,” … Then I heard God say,
‘Stop. Stop. STOP! Don’t just say the words… listen to
them. (Click
here for more)
Seek
Me and You Will Find
Me
Sunday
morning, the rain was gently falling. The clock on my nightstand
read 7:10 a.m. I pulled the covers over my head hoping to fall
back
to sleep, but as I closed my eyes I kept thinking about all that needed
to be done… make breakfast for the kids, get ready for church, put
Ryan’s
football uniform in the washing machine… (Click
here for more)
Revvin'
Up the "Big Foot"
When
my son Ryan was four years old he wanted just one thing for Christmas…
a “Big Foot.” At first I didn’t know what he meant… immediately a
seven-foot hairy monster wandering in the mountains came to mind, but I
soon discovered that he was thinking about a different kind of “Big
Foot.”
He was referring to a miniature battery-operated truck that a kid can
climb
into and actually drive. (Click
here for more)
Standing
Firm
Spring
is here. Even if I didn’t have a calendar to tell me so, I’d
still
know it was here because of some familiar phrases like… “Mom, do you
know
where my baseball glove is? Mom, we have baseball practice
tonight
at 5:30. Mom, it’s our turn to bring the snack for Saturday’s
game.
Mom, do you know where my cup is? (And, not referring to a
drinking
cup.) Spring is definitely here. (Click
here for more)
When
Did I Become My Mother?
When
I was fifteen, my Mom was thirty-seven. I was getting
pimples. Mom was getting “religion”. When I was fifteen, I
wanted to be a cheerleader for my high school football team… Mom became
a cheerleader for God. When I was fifteen, my favorite television
program was “The Young and the Restless.” Mom’s favorite program
was “The PTL Club” with Jim and Tammy Faye Baker. (Click
here for more)
Vacation
with Lindsey
Deciding
to go to MGM Studios with Lindsey was a blessing in disguise. You
see, she’s a teenager and our relationship hasn’t been the best
lately.
I don’t know how this happened, but when she graduated from child to
teenager
something drastically changed. Not to her… but to me.
Almost
instantly I noticed changes in the following areas… The tone of
my
voice was significantly altered; 'cause no matter how loud I speak
Lindsey
can’t seem to hear a word I say. (Click
here for more)
Roses
from God
I met
a wonderful woman at church. Her name was Connie. She and I
became friends and we began spending a lot of time together.
Connie
was a beautiful woman and radiated the love of Christ. We joined
a women’s Bible study together and our friendship grew. One day
Connie
shared with me that she had cancer and the disease was progressing
rapidly.
(Click
here for more)
Matthew
$7.24
As I
passed by the jewelry counter in a department store, a wave of sadness
washed over me. Memories of my wedding day… words spoken,
promises
made… the feeling of a ring being placed on my finger. Who would
have guessed that soon after this perfect day, our lives would be
turned
upside down? (Click
here for more)
New
Snow
It was
late November, 1985 and already we had a little snow on the
ground.
I wish I could say that it resembled the “winter wonderland”
people
sing about at Christmas, but it didn’t. The snow was melting,
cars
and trucks were driving over it and the snow was becoming a dirty,
gray,
slushy mess. Dirty, gray, slushy mess… hmmm… just how I was
feeling
on the inside too. (Click
here for more)
A
Shower with Nana
Early
one morning I stepped out of the shower and walked across the bathroom
to grab a towel. As I did, I caught a glimpse of myself in the
mirror
– naked. It nearly scared me to death! What scared me most
was it looked as if someone had taken my mother’s body and screwed my
head
on top. I mean to tell you… there isn’t a cup of coffee anywhere
that could muster up the same morning jolt I received from the image in
the mirror. (Click
here for more)
A
Woman with a Runny Nose
A few
years ago, I regularly attended meetings “support group” style.
It
was a good place to go when my emotional battery needed to be
recharged,
and I always left feeling better for having been there. Although
each meeting was wonderful, one in particular remains
“unforgettable.”
I wish I could say it was because someone said something that deeply
moved
me, inspired me or shed light on an area of confusion. But I
can’t.
Nope – this meeting became “unforgettable” because of a woman with a
runny
nose. (Click
here
for more)
A
Father's Love
In Binghamton,
New York I was raised with my five brothers and sisters. We lived
in the country with an incredible view of valleys and rolling
hills.
Best of all, we were completely surrounded with trees – glorious
trees.
In the fall of the year the leaves were magically transformed into
unique
pieces of art -- God’s handiwork.
(Click
here for more)
September
11, 2001
September
11, 2001 began as
always… rising early in the morning, walking the dog, throwing
breakfast
together for the kids, grab the purse, grab the keys, hurry please, car
pool line at school, kisses good-bye, don’t forget your lunch, driving
a little too fast to get to work… life as I know it.
(Click
here for more)
