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There’s only one place busier than a restaurant after church, and that’s a grocery store. I grabbed what I needed, headed to an express lane, and that’s when I spotted them—a  young couple from my church who had become first-time parents six weeks earlier. I avoided eye contact but not until after I noticed the… Continue reading Sorrow Doesn’t Wear A Watch

I'm featured at Kindred Grace today, where I admit that one particular Scripture has often made me roll my eyes. Credit: JenniMarie Photography My four-year-old niece was spending the weekend with me. Whatever I did, she wanted to help. Including when I began loading several large tote bags into my car. She wrapped her arms… Continue reading The True Meaning Of Casting Your Cares On Him

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash I hope you'll visit The Redbud Post, where I'm featured in this month's online magazine. Then stick around and check out all my Redbud sisters' thoughtful articles, as well. Gathering my thoughts on Empty Nest Syndrome all started with a trip to the eye doctor where my blurry eyes… Continue reading Not So Young—And Nestless

King Solomon and The Byrds tell us the same thing. To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. Spring in Michigan (the snow forecast for the last April weekend notwithstanding) is particularly welcome this year after such events as the polar vortex and bomb cyclone. One of my favorite… Continue reading There is a Season (Turn, Turn, Turn)

While I’ve always liked the idea of a devotional, I never seem to get out of it what I hope to. I start out strong and then I miss a few days, or become overwhelmed by all of the information and I end up either not finishing it or not really taking much from what… Continue reading The Solid Place

I like that I can pay my mortgage on my phone, buy stamps from my couch and have groceries delivered while I'm in my pajamas. However, I’m old enough to remember when those kinds of errands were often relegated to Saturdays. This was a weekly occurrence at my grandparents' house and I often tagged along.… Continue reading Life Before ATMs & amazon

One of my earliest memories of catechism and CCD (which I never knew stood for Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) was being introduced to what some call "the wedding scripture." Love is patient... Love is kind... The teacher brought the scripture to life when he suggested we substitute our own name for the word love. Patricia… Continue reading What if voting is the most loving thing we can do?

I planted these beauties early last spring when it was still too early for anything to survive in the ground. But pansies are such sturdy little things, they can survive the ups and mostly downs of a late winter/early spring in Michigan. They flourished all summer and when the first few frosts came, they still… Continue reading Essential Beauty

I’ve been accused of creating austere, cave-like environments in which to work. Curtains drawn, mostly dark, and very quiet. I prefer to think of it as more “cozy” than “cave” but I suppose spelunking might seem appropriate to some. Writing in such settings helps me focus less on myself and more on ideas, rather than… Continue reading Leaning In To My Discomfort Zone

I'm at Fathom Magazine today, talking about creativity. One of my first memories of art class was using small, blunted safety scissors to cut pictures out of magazines. I would make collages to represent life as I knew it as a six-year-old. Later would come shoeboxes covered in dry pasta, macramé braided wall hangings, and...… Continue reading Artistic Enough