Do you remember the first full length chapter book you ever read? I do. It was The Hidden Staircase, number two in the Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene. My mother gave it to me as a Christmas gift, and I think I was about ten years old. I started reading that book the day she gave it to me and couldn’t put it down. I read it as I walked around the house, stepping over wrapping paper and ribbon.
Last week, I accompanied my pastor in taking communion to two ladies who can no longer make it to church on Sundays. One of them is residing at a hospice facility, as she is reaching the final chapter of her life on earth. The other is living in a nursing home, for she struggles with dementia and old age challenges in general. The prospect of offering communion to them felt inviting and daunting all at the same time. For those
Well, my husband and I have done it again. We have befriended a neighborhood dog who has quickly turned into our surrogate. His name is Tucker and I don’t know how this happened, but we keep doing this even after we have taken vows not to do it again. Since last summer, when our last dog died, we have sworn off pets, lest our hearts be broken yet again. You see, when our Yellow Labrador, Bubba died in 2014, the
Having attended mainline Presbyterian churches for my entire life, I am familiar with the total aversion to whooping it up in church. We are reverent. We are respectful. We are attentive. We do quiet like nobody’s business. We are rarely tempted to sway to the rhythm of the hymns and anthems that permeate the pews on Sunday mornings. But why? Other churches do it. Some have rock bands leading their inner metronomes to glory, but the Presbyterians, well…the Presbyterians don’t
Recently I was invited to judge a beauty pageant. “Are you kidding me?” you say. No I am not thankyouverymuch, but I also had reservations regarding this task for, as I pointed out to the kind woman who recruited me, I know less than nothing about pageants. “I am probably not your girl. I will screw it up for you. I will embarrass you. Really. I will pick the wrong girl and screw it up.” She persisted however, pointing out
Recently my good friend K invited me on a little road trip to Mobile, Alabama to hear a celebrated author speak at a local college. “Yes! I would love to go! I exclaimed happily, all the while mulling over in my head what might already be lurking on my calendar for that date. “We can spend an extra night in Fairhope while we are there, OK?” she added. “They have the best book shop in the world and we can
Yesterday I had a long overdue phone visit with my former roommate, Cecily. We have maintained a long distance friendship, for which I am grateful, even though we live at opposite ends of the country. We caught up on books first; for we are both avid readers and I rely on her to forge the way for me in the “books I need to read” category. Next we moved on to family. She and her husband are now empty nesters,
Labor Day is almost here and that fact generally brings me a sigh of relief that the long, hot, humid days of summer are over for a while. This summer was different for me though. True, the heat and humidity took their usual toll on my skin, hair and attitude. But this year, the summer felt lighter than usual. This summer one of my little preteen neighbors spent several hours a week in my company. With her parents unavailable
Yesterday I took a long walk as I usually do a couple of times a week. This walk was different however, because it was the first time in almost three years that I did not have my little walking partner, Elly, with me. Elly was a sweet little dog who came to live with me and my husband by happenstance. Our neighbors rescued her from the side of the interstate highway after she had been hit by a car
My husband Tom and I recently hit the road for Houston to attend a grandchild’s first birthday party and to celebrate Father’s Day with the fam. We invited one of the other grandpups, L_________, to accompany us on the great adventure. Although she had spent the night with us on many occasions, this would be the first time she would be alone with us for two days while so far away from her parents. For any four year old, this