December has arrived in northern Minnesota. Harvest is past and the fields lie sere and spent, tufts of the first snowfall caught in their stubble. Chilling silently, they brace against the cold. Their year’s work is done. Halfhearted sunlight, thin and watery, spreads over the land. Farmhouses once brimming with life now sit silent, their … Read more
It came with my husband, this neat little kit in its black case, his purchase for his first semester in college at the University of Alaska. It seemed to embody his dream of a college education. By the time we were irreversibly in love, he had to quit college and go to work to help … Read more
“And the evening and the morning were the first day”. Time is the first necessary element for creating the universe and the life that exists in it. So all of creation hinges on this statement. Why does evening precede morning? God’s protocol; order out of chaos, light out of darkness, clarity out of obscurity. God … Read more
It’s late March and at last the earth turns toward the sun. Evening skies stretch out in hope. Still a heavy snow lies on the ground, winter’s last effort, weakened by an afternoon of warmth. Soon it will vanish and spring will win for another year. The bare trees reach upward into an opalescent sky, … Read more
If I were to dream up the ultimate drive-in, it would be Carousel.It is high summer, a perfect afternoon in June. People line up with their kids and dogs in tow, glad to wait in line for the delectable hot dogs, smothered in relish. And oh those milkshakes, full of fresh fruit in a plethora … Read more
The disciples must have been beyond exhaustion. After helping Jesus feed thousands with a miraculous picnic on the shores of Galilee, they set out in their fishing boat to cross the sea. They had been battling this storm for over nine hours. What had become of Jesus ? He’d insisted that they start across the … Read more
After 44 plus years in the same house, the same community, with the same friends, the thought of moving to a new state was daunting. But we took the plunge and found ourselves tucked into this small town of “Thank you, ma’am’s”. For the most part, kindness rules, everywhere from MacDonald’s to Walgreens to Food … Read more
On this day of pervasive rain, my memory bank gifts me with a dazzling blue summer day in North Vancouver, at the top Grouse Mountain. Here we go, edging up the mountainside in a swinging gondola, squeezed in with a crowd of other tourists. Everyone exits toward the chair lift, and here is where the … Read more
She looked the part of an addict. Gaunt and pale, her clothes hanging loosely on her concave frame, her face set in lines of despair. Should I speak? Why would I want to connect with this woman? Why would I span the gap between us and approach her world? Yet… “How was your day?” Within … Read more
