As the Old Year Leaves

As the Old Year Leaves

  Every morn is a fresh beginning; every day is the world made new. You who are weary of sorrow and sinning, here is a wonderful hope for you, a hope for me and a hope for you. — Author Unknown I’m not much for making New Year’s Resolutions. Once upon a time, it was […]

Boxing Day and All is Well

Boxing Day and All is Well

  In many countries, this is Boxing Day. This special day after Christmas is a tradition started by elite Britishers of giving gifts to those who serve them throughout the year. The gifts are boxed and I suppose that’s where the name comes from. This is also St. Stephen’s Day, in honor of the first […]

Christmas Lights and Quiet Thoughts

Christmas Lights and Quiet Thoughts

Our family has the tradition of lighting Advent candles on the Sundays before Christmas, then reading  Scripture. The soft glow of the candle is peaceful and silent but it reflects a powerful message of hope and love. I wish that our world would stop for a moment and absorb this quietness and peace. Doesn’t Scripture […]

Batten Down the Hatches

Batten Down the Hatches

  It seems that life is made up of one storm after the other, with peaceful stretches in between. When we feel tossed around by circumstances, it’s time to batten down the hatches and hold tight. One of my favorite poems is The Voyagers by Van Dyke: O Maker of the mighty deep, whereon our vessels […]

Troubles

Troubles

This morning as I look out of my window on the world, I see a quiet neighborhood, a sleepy, just-waking-up neighborhood with shadowy trees newly emerging from night, the dedicated walker striding up the hill, a few people driving to their jobs already, and I’m grateful for normalcy. If I looked beyond the obvious and […]

An Early June  Morning

An Early June Morning

What is there about an early spring morning before the sun comes up, when the grass is soggy with yesterday’s rain? Everything is hushed and listening for the robin’s song and the dove’s call to announce a new beginning. Leaves are still except when the whisper of a breeze stirs them. The wonder of it […]