Collected
I think about the old phrase, “stay calm, cool, and collected.” It’s funny because I sit here in 70 degree winter weather (I’m not cool), and I’m half Italian and the loudest, most excitable extrovert I know (I’m not calm). But collected? I love this word. Collected. I think about gathering up all my emotions […]
Christmas Every Day
I remind myself that it doesn’t end today; Christmas rises in our hearts every day because God is with us. It’s Christmas! Emmanuel! God is with us! He’s with us today, tomorrow, and forever. He’s not outside of us in a lowly manger or even on a cross. He’s resurrected and now living within us–as […]
The Little Handmade Presents
My youngest daughter presents me with a handmade little candle for an early Christmas gift. She tells me how, in school, she took a piece of yarn, dipped it in different colored jars of wax, cooled that layer in cold water, and then dipped it again to build up layers and layers of wax around […]
Taking Our Eyes Off Ourselves
This morning I remember the despair that comes from self-focus and self-absorption. I recall the day I read Isaiah 58:10 for the first time in college. It was a strange and inverted kind of promise from God. It read: “If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, […]
Lesson From the Danish Grandmother
I stop to visit the 70 year old grandmother from Denmark who visits her family down the road. Years ago, she inspired me with her 3 mile a day walking routine. She insists that the walking has kept her as fit and lively as she is. I’ve tried to walk like she does. “Are you […]
Coconut Macaroons
We’ve added another treat to our holiday collection of goodies to give to neighbors and to keep in endless supply for visitors: Coconut Macaroons. I used this recipe because it didn’t have eggs and used just a bit of flour. Basically, you mix together a bag of flaked coconut, a can of sweetened condensed milk, […]
Your Holiday: Another Thing to Surrender
This morning in church, I talk to my wise, older friend (the same one who first kept my children in church nursery all those years ago) about her Christmas plans. Instead of mothering all those little children running around her house, she and her husband are off to visit grown and married children who spend time with […]
A 5 Year Reminder
On this night in 2010, we invited a stranger into our house. We almost didn’t, but we did. On this night, in 2011, we learned about thundersnow. On this night in 2012, I was posting final grades and discussing the concept of the best worst grade. On this night in 2013, I learned about my […]
Great Wonders Tomorrow
I remember the first time I read Joshua 3:5 where the text reads, “Joshua told the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you’.” This statement predicts the miracle of God parting the waters of the Jordan so the Israelites could cross on dry land. I wondered what it must […]
A Separate Moment
During the hustle and bustle of these last days before Christmas, everything tends to feel rushed, overpacked, over-scheduled, and so chaotic. I find myself feeling overwhelmed as the days tick by. Shopping! Cooking! Visiting! Events! It’s wonderful but exhausting, and I say this as a high capacity extrovert. So today I remember to separate myself from […]