-
Love Thy Neighbor
A sunny day with temperatures in the fifties greeted me—perfect for a morning jog around the neighborhood. As I (slowly) ran, I noticed a new sign dotting the landscape. Love Thy Neighbor. Amen and amen. Jesus preached love and lived it. He demonstrated it with the ultimate sacrifice of laying down His own life for mankind. He taught us that by loving others, we show our love for God. But sometimes in our attempt to love one of our neighbors, we judge another. We point fingers and accuse a person or group of not loving like we think they should. Our motives turn messy. In the end, we pick and…
-
Embrace the Journey
Have you ever focused so intently on reaching your destination you forgot to embrace the journey? Sometimes we need a reminder. Mine came this past August as my husband and I drove to our daughter’s home. To celebrate her birthday, Barry built a beautiful farmhouse table and benches. We rented a truck to transport this special gift. Our usual route is the interstate, where heavy traffic and construction is a given. We decided on a different, less traveled road. We figured a more relaxing drive without fear of a collision mangling the table would be a good thing. So off we went on the six hour trip. My husband drove…
-
Light for My Path
Do you ever stumble around your house in the dark? I do this when my husband is asleep and I need to adjust the thermostat. Not really the greatest idea, because sometimes I press the A/C when I intend to turn on the heat. Makes for a chilly start the next morning. Outside, though, I always have light for my path, especially since I attended a class on wildlife in our community. Deer, snakes, and possums occasionally trek through our yard. Sightings of a bear or fox have also circulated through the neighborhood. But I was surprised to learn bobcats and coyotes live in our area. If I’m late taking…
-
Steps
Do you count your steps? Back when I counted mine, 10,000 seemed to be the sweet spot. Tools to measure the number of our steps flood the market. But could someone invent an app measuring the how? Are our steps hesitant or confident? Ambling or running? Faltering or steady? Weary or energetic? Measuring the how would enable us to evaluate those times we need help getting where we’re going. Most importantly, what about tracking the direction of our steps? I don’t mean geographical direction. Plenty of devices exist for that. Instead, I’m thinking of the destination to which our steps ultimately lead. Who or what are we moving toward? A…
-
Treasures and Tea Kettles
Some of my favorite childhood memories are woven into family visits with my Grandmother and Granddad Stewart. I always felt special the second my sister and I burst through their den door. They’d hug us, exclaim how much we’d grown, and listen to my incessant chatter. A loud whistle would reverberate through the house, and Grandmother would hurry to the kitchen to move the tea kettle from the burner. She’d lift the tin cover from the cake plate and slice big pieces of chocolate cake. We’d sit in the immaculate kitchen with the starched white curtains, red countertops, and gleaming gray floors my Granddad polished the way someone from the…
Faith for the Adventure
