Thank you for letting us sing to you: Confessions of a choir crasher
You’ve heard of party crashers and wedding crashers, but perhaps you have never heard of a choir crasher. That’s me, the person who, back in the doldrums of September as election campaigns were still in full swing, shorter days and longer nights were just beginning to descend, and when Christmas trees were not yet at […]
When Words Undo Us, Silence Speaks
“To have a good day, one must be willing not only to do things, but to let other things go undone.” During our ramp up to the holidays that’s an oft used expression. Don’t DO so much. When opportunities become obligations, our energy is sapped and the glow goes right out of the season. Simplify, […]
Election Day: You were worth it
Frankly, had it not been for the woman who climbed the steps to my porch a few weeks ago to introduce herself and tell me what she brought to the race for the office she was seeking, I probably would have been among the ranks of the apathetic on this election day. But we visited for […]
Without a deadline, I’d never get to Christmas
It’s amazing what a deadline does. Take Christmas for example. On December 25th, at least in these parts, folks wake up to Christmas day and they expect their gifts to be under the tree, stockings to be filled and Christmas dinner preparations to be well under way. As the Dr. Seuss’ Grinch so aptly points […]
Call me Classic, But Don’t Call Me Old
When my kids call me “classic,” it’s their not-so-veiled way of calling me old. While growing older is something I can’t avoid, and don’t want to, given the alternative, old is not a way I want to be, especially not at Christmas. It used to be easy to do kid-stuff when our children were small. […]
Prayer for Hope and Strength
Almighty God, You reach into the darkness with hope, truth and light. Stretch out your strong hand in this situation, in our circumstance, in your world. Hold and rescue those who have suffered. Let your almighty love move mountains, cross seas and breathe life into the darkest places. Light that redeems. Light that restores. Light […]
How do you prepare a place for Him?
You can tell a lot about a person by how they set up their nativity scene. I decided this when my daughter arranged the pieces this year. Mary and Joseph were placed outside the stable to make room for the animals to crowd around the new baby. The donkey was looking longingly into Jesus’ eyes. […]
Between Hope and Peace, watch out
Instead of an Advent wreath, I have an Advent box this year, courtesy of some very clever folks at my church who assembled the supplies and invited me to come make one. I wasn’t so sure about “branching out” (pardon the pun), but it’s growing on me (again). There’s an order to my candles. No […]
Do our brains grow toward what we choose?
Our brains our changing. At least mine is. It has to, in order to keep up with the constant influx of information, sensory input, and data. To analyze it properly and make the right decision. I read and process information differently. My brain is adapting, as a survival strategy. I’m not sure what that means, […]
Nothing teaches you to wait like waiting
We’re not very good at waiting these days. It’s not our fault. The world has sped up. No time for sitting idle. We need to be productive, purposeful, proactive. Open slots don’t appear on my calendar or in my day. I actually have to schedule them. And then, I have to convince myself it is […]