Have you ever thrown a rock into a perfectly clear lake? Well, you’re also probably the one who unnecessarily walks through the yard after a fresh blanket of snow. Hey, stop talking about the snow! That’s a touchy subject this time of year. I’m trying to plant corn! I’m always impressed by the impact of one tiny rock on so much water. If you haven’t done this before, maybe … [Read more...]

She sang so sweetly. This young lady smiled as she uttered the melodious love song at a Christian wedding today. The audience gave her their rapt attention. Her voice flooded the auditorium with melody. What a joy to see and hear her serving the Lord, the bride and groom and others with her voice. “I am glad you asked me to do this,” she offered as she spoke to the groom at … [Read more...]

My eyes jolted open, only to see what I shouldn’t see through my windshield: tall grass whipping by as I drove somewhere I knew I shouldn’t be. Confused and panicked, my foggy brain picked my foot off the accelerator. What in the world had I done? Where was I? My breath escaped me as I realized what I was doing: I had fallen asleep at the wheel – crossed oncoming traffic, and … [Read more...]

Now is not the time to mention the “s” word.  Nobody wants to hear it!  We have received and read the garden catalogs.  We have ordered new plants for the garden.  We ARE SO READY! Now I remember my grampa’s advice.  Don’t plant anything before Memorial Day or you will be sorry.  Patience is not one of my virtues. What to do now that my green thumb is itching?  I guess I can … [Read more...]

I’ve gotten pretty good at stumbling through the darkness. In one of our machine sheds, there’s a door on both ends but a light switch on only one end. If I happen to come from the switchless end of the farm, I will always choose to blind squirrel my way through the tetris-like machinery rather than take the long way around to the light switch. Some days it works better than … [Read more...]

In the valley Times can turn out to surprise us. They can lead us to broad meadows, a flowered beauty, or raise us to the top of mountainous splendor. Yet there are days that unexpectedly reach out to us and guide us into a valley shadowed by uncertainty, frailty, or sorrow. One just never knows what the morrow will bring. A common comment I have heard this winter season … [Read more...]

You might want to sit down for this. What if your kids asked to get out of bed early to happily clean and organize the house? I’m fully aware I sound crazy. I never thought my kids would do it. But they are (some days) and it’s rocking my world! “How does this work?!!!” Thanks for asking - I’d love to share. Recently, I was introduced to Paul Akers’ “2 Second Lean” book … [Read more...]

I am a Godlilocks weather person.  Winter is too cold and snowy.  Summer is too hot and humid.  Spring and fall are just right.  The moderate temperatures plus the scents of the seasons and the colors make me happy and more productive.  The smell of mud and fresh green grass is intoxicating while the color of fall leaves and smell of bonfires makes me sigh with joy.  Since … [Read more...]

With a big yawn, I exclaimed, “I dreamt I could fly!” I remember the weightless feeling of levitating like Superman into the air. From the time I was young, I have dreamed of flying both nocturnally and in conscious thought.  My brother and I would always see how much air we could get. I remember packing snow up over the old stump in the middle of our sledding hill to make a … [Read more...]

February, though a short month, has signaled some important dates of the year.  Birthdays for important individuals, such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, my brother, two of our daughters and one grandson, are remembered this time of year.  Some Februarys make for snowy, frigid days.  Others flirt with springtime temperatures.  With Christmas in the rear-view mirror, it … [Read more...]

What if “I do” wasn’t about taking? FamilyLife Today sends a daily marriage tip to my inbox. The subject never fails to give me pause. “I Do Every Day,” it reads, followed by whatever topic is being covered for that day. The first “I Do” I said on my wedding day in response to the long string of intense questioning about having and holding, forsaking all others, in sickness, … [Read more...]

Have you ever had a project that grew and grew?  Perhaps it was a job that had to be dealt with eventually, but you just did not have the right amount of time to get to it?  Does that sound familiar?  I had such a job awaiting my attention.  Fortunately, I had set it aside in a remote room in my house.  The saying, “Out of sight, out of mind” fits the situation.  My job of … [Read more...]

Sneaking down the creaky stairs of my old farmhouse, I popped my earbuds in for a few quiet minutes of the Family Life Today podcast before my kids were roused. I wasn’t expecting what I heard but it was exactly what my marriage needed… maybe yours does too? (I’ll share it below!) My husband and I are actually doing something new in 2023. We’re making a vision board for our … [Read more...]

They’re still stuck in my head: “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” “Joy to the World,” “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! Is it really over? Christmas 2022 is history and the New Year has dropped. Does that mean all we have left is ice and gloom? It might feel a bit like sailors who reach the stretch of water where they get stuck in the doldrums.  There’s nothing to move … [Read more...]

Sending Christmas cards first appeared in 1843. By 1860, it had become a custom. Our family has sent them since our children were small. We outlined Christmas cookie cutters and let the kids color them, while we parents wrote a verse or message about the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Savior. We created a little newspaper format card you might enjoy. We call it … [Read more...]