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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Some things bear repeating. And so, I’m repeating this blog post from Christmas 2011 – repetitions that delight! Relevant today as it was eleven years ago. Merry Christmas! Psalm 97 – Repetitions that Delight When my son, Dan, was a baby, he had one book he wanted me to read over and over and over, […]
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Merry Christmas! While the Christmas shopping season ended Christmas day, Christmas is more than a day. Remember the twelve days of Christmas? Christmas is a season in the Catholic liturgical calendar, lasting over two weeks, from Christmas day to the Baptism of the Lord in January. All reason to raise a cup of Christmas! Celebrating […]
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Today I raise a cup of love and reflect on Isaiah 7:10-14 as we light the last purple candle on the Advent wreath. The Word Love Love is a much used and abused term in the English language. We use the same word to describe how we feel about certain foods, such as pizza and […]
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Merry Christmas! Mary, Joseph and the baby, surrounded by angels playing musical instruments: harp, lute and violin! What wonderful music the heavenly chorus must have made as they proclaimed the birth of Emmanuel. We, too have reason to praise our God and join with all of the angels and saints in singing: “Glory to God […]
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Life is full of promises–those we have made and those made to us. Considering how often promises influence our lives, it is surprising how little we reflect on them. The liturgical season of Christmas provides rich opportunities to reflect on the promises of God’s love. This book blends seasonal vignettes and Scripture passages to help […]
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The tree is down, decorations are stored–all that’s left of Christmas are the memories, both good and not so good. Now comes the “letdown.” Joy over that which went well dissipates, minor disappointments remain to mar my peace. Just plain tiredness catches up with me. Christmas is over–almost. I’m caught in the limbo between Christmas […]
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Christmas – Season of Promise “But you promised!” my child reminds me with a plaintive whine. I know, I know. But that was when I thought it would be possible. I made my promise before I had all the facts, before I knew how much money, how much time and effort was involved–before I knew […]
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Christmas – Season of Promise Three dreamers, chasing a star . . . Three dreamers come from afar . . . How I admire their ability to hold on to what they believe is true. How I admire those who risk everything because of a hunch, because of a promise from only-God-knows-whom. They kept their […]
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Christmas – Season of Promise “Poppa, what will it be?” “Wait and see,” the granddaughter hears. Lovingly Poppa examines the grain of the wood. This small piece contains a hidden promise, waiting for Poppa’s skilled hands to reveal it. A bird? A squirrel? A fish? An abstract design? The wood will tell him as he […]
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