God Bless America: The verse we have forgotten

Did you know that God Bless America doesn’t start with the words God Bless America? There is a verse preceding the chorus we know as the song. It is a preamble, if you will, or a statement of intention about the words to be sung. This is how God Bless America really begins: “While the storm […]

There’s an Invisible Man Under My Sticky Notes!

Is there an invisible man in your life? Hiding under your bed Behind your curtains In the shower Under the covers Behind the wheel of your car? These are all places I’ve gone looking. Not really searching But definitely seeking. Where thoughts can drift and ideas jump out at you. Sometimes they startle and you […]

Good Grief, Multiplied

A dear friend has died. She gave her life to her family, her friends, her church, her God. She had given everything but the last of herself, and now she has given that. In his book, Life of the Beloved, Henri Nouwen says, “In the giving we are chosen, blessed and broken not simply for our own […]

Smart Girls Wanted, Non-Athletes Need Not Apply

Here’s the truth: athlete beats non-athlete pretty much every time. If I am looking to hire you to work for me, smart is good, initiative is great, willingness to try new things is necessary, and good character is a must, but check the box marked ‘athlete’ and you move to the top of the resume pile. Provided you meet the other […]

A scrap of paper, blank and waiting

“A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it is to be God.” ~ Sidney Shelton And so it is, isn’t it, my writing friends? To sit before a blank page, a blank screen, or an empty note card. Even a blank day on the calendar seems overwhelming in possibilities […]

Pure Joy! It’s Your Party!

It’s complete pandemonium, folks! The crowd roars as the team is announced. They break into song as the players stride to the podium. The roar is deafening as they hoist the championship trophy. It is ours. After decades of waiting and a lifetime of work, we have won it! Pure joy! This is the scene as […]

Firm Outside, Flexible Inside

Inflexible, rigid, immovable, carved in stone…There’s a place for these, but in me is not that place. I’m meant to give. My body says so. I’m meant to be flexible, able to bend against the storms of life and not snap. I’m meant to be supple, easily folded, twisted and worked into shape. I’m meant to be […]