Recently, I traveled from home to be with my daughter and three young grandchildren who were grieving the loss of their grandmother. As expected at their age, our time together was filled with a mixed bag of emotions. One minute the kids would be playing and laughing, and the next they’d be climbing onto a lap for another round of cuddling and kisses. Occasionally, one child would quietly ask another question about Grandma and why she had died. It was obvious their young minds were trying to understand the implications of her death and their loss. One evening we all dined at a local ... Read the Post
The Orange Flag
This morning while driving to work, I had to pause a moment at the end of our street. The road ahead was under repair, leaving me uncertain if I could make my usual left turn. A smiling construction worker waved me forward with his orange flag, encouraging me to turn left in spite of the fact that huge utility vehicles were in the midst of tearing up the road. Nonetheless, I took a leap of faith in the stranger’s direction and made the left turn. The drive was a little bumpy and required navigating around the work in progress, but I made it! As I was enjoying a little moment of success ... Read the Post
Barking Dogs
One night not too long ago, the noise of neighborhood dogs barking woke me from a deep sleep. I was groggy, but my first thought was: “Why are all the dogs barking?” There had been a few burglaries in the area, so our neighborhood was on alert for unusual activity. I got up and checked to make sure the doors were secure. Then I peeked out the front and back doors looking for activity but didn’t see anything. I shrugged my shoulders and climbed back into bed. False alarm. All’s well. We’re safe, I thought. Silly as it may sound; as I drifted off to sleep, I thought that people should be ... Read the Post
Another Birthday
As my birthday approaches, I find myself (once again) considering my appearance. I notice more fine wrinkles on my hands and arms, as well as fine lines around my eyes. It seems like they crept there almost overnight. And now – unless I rinse L’Oreal medium golden brown hair color into my hair every couple months – my gray hair becomes more obvious every day. Yikes! I still have a year before I hit the big “5-0!” Our society places great importance on personal appearance. We must look young and beautiful – regardless of our age. Sometimes it’s tough not measuring my appearance by those ... Read the Post
Cast Your Nets
Looking at the bay through the large plate glass windows of my office, I watch as the shrimpers toss their nets into the water. One old shrimp boat moves forward steadily as its nets fill with the catch of the day. Eventually, the shrimpers pull in their nets, harvest their shrimp, and then move further into the bay, continuing the process several times throughout the morning. Watching the shrimpers, I am reminded of story in Matthew chapter four. Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus encounters Simon (Peter) and Andrew, and later, James and John. He tells them to follow Him and ... Read the Post