Lessons Learned from Gardening

“The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” (Lk 8:14-15)

Before the first freeze last fall, I brought my herbs inside my house. Each one grew in its own container, so I made a place for them in my laundry room, which receives a lot of sunlight. There were four: basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme.

One by one, the herbs died until the oregano was the only one left. At first, I watched it diligently for rot or dryness. Soon, I became distracted and forgot to check it as often as it needed. One day, I noticed its dry leaves and realized with chagrin that I had forgotten to water it. Overnight, it seemed, many of the leaves dried up and fell on the floor. My neglectfulness led to the eventual death of the oregano plant. Continue reading “Lessons Learned from Gardening”

Celebrating Valentine’s Day

My Valentine

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…” (Phil 4:12b)

In high school, I was part of a club that ran a Valentine’s Day fundraiser. Students ordered carnations in red, pink, or white, with each color representing love, like, and friendship, respectively. The members of the club, including me, delivered the carnations to the excited recipients on Valentine’s Day. Everyone held their breath that day to see who would get which color, and I know very little school work got done. Continue reading “Celebrating Valentine’s Day”

Finding Hope at Christmas

Author’s note: Since this month’s blog posts will coincide with the four Sundays in Advent, the theme of each blog post will have the same theme as that week in Advent. The theme for the first Sunday in Advent is hope, the second is love, the third is joy, and the final one is peace.

“…the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” (Ps 147:11)

I look forward to Christmas with great anticipation each year. I enjoy everything about the season: the lights, the music, the baking, the gifts, the cards, the Hallmark movies…and the list goes on. As a child, I looked forward to opening gifts so much that I talked my mom into letting my brother and me open a gift on Christmas Eve once or twice.

As an adult, there have been years when I dreaded the holiday season. The year my grandma and father-in-law both passed away was particularly difficult. But nothing could have prepared me for the feelings of grief and loss that tainted my love for the holiday for several years after my divorce. For a while, I lost hope that things would ever be better. Continue reading “Finding Hope at Christmas”

Forming Deeper Connections

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another…” (1 John 1:7)

People are social creatures, and even the most introverted among us craves human companionship from time to time. We need to connect with each other. We need support and encouragement and love. Continue reading “Forming Deeper Connections”

Game Night

Clockwise from bottom left: Lola, Virginia, Clara, Mickie, and Judy
Ken, Stan, Ron, Ruth, and Alan

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor…” (Ecc 4:9)

Folks from the community arrived in pairs – married couples, friends, mother and daughter. People placed their wares on the counter: sandwiches, pizza, fruit, cakes, cookies. The array of food seemed endless. Groups naturally formed, with some talking about the day’s events and others already getting down to the serious business that had brought them together on this night: card games. Continue reading “Game Night”