During the first week of September, I enjoyed a feast for the senses as part of a writer’s retreat on Harvester Island, one of the many islands off of Kodiak Island in Alaska. Harvester Island – Fish Camp Harvester Island is the site of an active fish camp, one of a dwindling number, with boats […]
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My Christmas in July gift to you–the short story, Follow the Star, part of my upcoming book: Christmas in Cascade Falls. Christmas in Cascade Falls: Follow the Star Despondent over multiple losses, Wesley and Hattie had decided to forego Christmas this year. But then a delivery shows up at their door on Christmas Eve, a […]
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I got out of bed, looking forward to the bike ride I had planned for later, opened the windows to let in the cool morning air, started my coffee, then checked the weather. An air advisory of 139. I closed the windows. No coffee on the patio and as for that bike ride, well, that […]
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Psalm 133 tells us, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount […]
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A Long Day’s Journey into Night is an American classic. Over the course of one day, Eugene O’Neil tells the story of his family’s struggle with addiction. The promise of day gives way to night as Mary, the mother in the play, sinks back into the darkness of opioid addiction. But for me, thinking about […]
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It’s a beginner’s lesson, learning that not every voice you hear in prayer comes from God. And yet, with over sixty years of a life committed to seeking God’s will, I can still fall into that common error. So I’m forced to remind myself again and again, not every voice you hear in prayer comes […]
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Have you noticed a new spring in your step? I have. “For, behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing [of birds] has come.” (Song of Solomon 2:11) Yes, here in Michigan spring has sprung! Fool’s Spring Sure, we had those […]
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Growing up, I can remember the phrase, idle hands are the devil’s workshop. Don’t know who said it or how many times, I just know I heard it. Maybe from the sisters at St. Mary’s Grade School. Recently I read that when our minds aren’t busy working on something, they turn to anxiety and worry. […]
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Not a day goes by without hearing about another mass shooting, or just shootings of people who end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, like the teenager who went to the wrong door to pick up his brother or the woman in the car that turned into the wrong driveway. In all […]
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For most of my adult life I’ve tried to achieve some semblance of balance. I plan ahead, work ahead, and lay out what I need to do in order not to be swamped at the last minute. No matter how much I try, there are always those unexpected occurrences that lead to extra work. In […]
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