This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. (Is. 48:17)
When I was growing up, my family went on a road trip almost every summer. My dad, a teacher, had summers off, and since his mom lived in Nevada, we would take off and explore various points of the West on our way to visit her. Continue reading “The Map for Our Lives”
I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. (Ps. 77:11)
Happy twelfth birthday to my Yorkie companion, Lilly!
Lilly came to me when she was six months old. She’d been given to my brother and his wife, who couldn’t keep her, so she ended up with me. I don’t have any papers on her, so I don’t know her exact date of birth. The vet estimated that she was born about six months before I got her, which would put her birthday some time in October. So we celebrate for the entire month! Continue reading “Happy Birthday, Lilly!”
For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. (Prov. 9:11)
Happy birthday month to me!
Yes, that’s right—my forty-fourth birthday fell on Friday, August 13. I’m a big fan of Friday the 13th birthdays. I hold none of the superstitions about the date, and I feel a comradeship with others who were born on the thirteenth of any month due to the suspicious view of the number thirteen. I, on the other hand, think it’s fun. Continue reading “Celebrating Another Year”
“He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers” (Ex 35:35).
I haven’t made New Year’s resolutions in a long time. Instead, I choose a word for the year. I use this word to focus on an area of my life where I believe the Lord wants to make changes or have me grow. I’ve chosen words such as “trust,” “focus,” “compassion,” and “bold.” Last year, my word was “renew.” As 2020 began, I felt burned out. I had no idea how much I would need renewal as the year (and the pandemic) wore on.
This year, God revealed my word to me more slowly than usual. I often have my word for the year in November, or the first week of January at the latest. We were halfway through January before I felt comfortable with the word that kept coming to mind: “create.” Continue reading “Create: My Word for 2021”
This blog post was originally published on December 15, 2019.
“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’” (Ps 126:2)
In 1983, Santa brought me the most coveted of all Christmas gifts that year—a Cabbage Patch doll. She had brown yarn for hair, a plastic head with the sweetest dimples, and a fabric body.
I was six years old and beside myself with excitement. I couldn’t wait to show my grandma. Every year, Grandma gave her stamp of approval on the gifts my brother and I received.
When we arrived at Grandma’s, I clambered out of the car and ran into the house. I bounced on my toes, holding my baby doll out for inspection.
“Look! See what Santa brought me!”
Grandma scrunched up her face. “Well, isn’t she ugly?”
She must have seen the devastation on my face because she quickly added, “I mean, she’s so ugly, she’s cute!”
And then she laughed.
Grandma’s laugh was contagious, and I laughed, too, immediately overlooking the offense that I knew she hadn’t intended. I didn’t really know what “she’s so ugly, she’s cute” meant, but what I did know was that I had Grandma’s approval.
“She’s so ugly, she’s cute” became a running joke between Grandma and me—an inside joke that we enjoyed well into my adult years. Sharing this with my grandma made me feel special. To be honest, Grandma had a way of making everyone in her life feel special, whether we shared an inside joke with her or not.
Most of my favorite memories—Christmas and otherwise—revolve around my grandma.
As a child, we all gathered at my grandparents’ house before Christmas so that each family unit could spend Christmas Day together. My grandparents had six kids, and all but two lived close enough to participate. I remember playing with my cousins, listening to the grownups’ stories, and hearing my grandma’s laugh.
My grandma has been gone for many years now, but what I remember most is her laugh and the joy she brought to everyone around her.
Dear Jesus, thank you for so many good memories from my childhood. Thank you for my grandma’s loving, generous heart, her friendship, and her legacy. Amen.