The little boy was looking at a large plaque in the church narthex. There was name after name of men and women with dates behind each name. As the minister walked by the little boy asked, “Who are all these people?” “Why son,” said the minister, “these are men and women who died in service.” The boy looked again with... READ MORE >
I am pondering again…. or maybe mulling. I love belonging to a “Just Peace” faith community but sometimes I wonder what it all means. For days on end I watched and listened to the news of yet another school shooting, this one in an elementary classroom claiming the lives of small children. My horror and disbelief changed to deep grief—grief... READ MORE >
Just like eating our vegetables, we don’t always like interacting with some people or our “stomachs” don’t get along with them. Mothers tell us we must eat our peas and carrots and Jesus says that we must love our neighbors as ourselves. This is not necessarily a “feel good’ commandment.” Those Ten Commandments, ok, they make sense to me, but... READ MORE >
I love watching the seagulls. I know that not everyone welcomes them; after all they are not always very respectful, especially if you have just washed and waxed your car. They can be pretty pesky if you are planning a picnic by the lakeshore. Seagulls are the acrobats of the sky; they make what seems to be nearly impossible antics... READ MORE >
It is so distressing to read the papers and listen to the news. My heart breaks at the stories of starving people around the world…of storms that render entire communities homeless…of riots and fighting…of the plight of children in our world… of the names and faces of our own young men and women who have died in wars not of... READ MORE >
On a recent adventure I was on a back road somewhere in Southern Minnesota going through a little one block long village. I can’t remember the name of the town, but what I do remember is a sign. It was one of those yellow caution signs. It said, “Watch the Children.” It didn’t say, “Watch for the children.” Nor did... READ MORE >
There are those who think I am a bad cook (duh!)….well, I am a worse gardener! When my sons were young I planted a garden in Colvill. The tomatoes looked like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree and the carrots had to be dug out because they all turned “j” shaped in the clay soil. But the zucchinis! Oh the zucchinis!... READ MORE >
When was the last time you walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator door and just stood there somewhat dazed looking for “something”? You are hungry, but for what? Hmmmm, Greek Yogurt? Nah. Cold bacon, pineapple and black olive pizza? Nah, ah. Left over bean soup? Don’t think so. Maybe peanut butter, jelly and cheese on Davison bread? You close... READ MORE >
I can tell it is getting close to July 4th and all the conflict around the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. I am getting a plethora of e-mails on how we need to stand up and make a statement about keeping God in the pledge or on our coins or in our courthouses. The whole thing has me... READ MORE >
It looks like my “getting lost” days are over. I received a wonderful (at least I think it may be wonderful) gift a couple of weeks ago. I opened the box and found a GPS. You know, a global positioning system. I read the instructions and found that it “provides reliable positioning, navigation, and timing services to worldwide users on... READ MORE >
