Our memories are strange and unwieldy beasts. Have you ever had a song grip you in its power, sending you back through the years to a time and place you hadn’t been in ever so long? The memories flood in, often mysteriously surpassing the pleasure you felt in the actual moment. What’s with that?Two kids, … Read more
It’s been many years ago now, but I remember it clearly. I woke up early to get the turkey in the oven. Everyone in the house was still asleep so I crept softly into the kitchen, turning up the heat on the way. The icy floor shocked my bare feet and I took a minute … Read more
I have just returned from a long awaited visit to my birthplace. Far and away to the northwest, nearly hanging off the jagged edge of the continental US, sits my hometown of Bellingham. It curves around the blue green restless waters of Bellingham Bay in eclectic absurdity. The old 1890’s brick red firehouse, now a … Read more
I can just see the epitaph on my gravestone now. “In her 75th year of life, Rose conquered the attic.” It’s possible that a precipitous tumble down these creaky stairs might lead to my demise, but who cares? The kids aren’t around to stop me. I can’t possibly leave this mess for anyone else. And … Read more
I’m not sure how this yearly event comes to bring us to the edge of divorce. First there is the angst of the rising cost of a fresh tree. We gulp, trek to our favorite nursery, and do our best to choose a nearly perfect one. At that price, we hope for perfection. The tree … Read more
We all know how a photograph can bring back a flood of memories. There we are in black and white – my cousin and I, perched on Santa’s lap in Woodward’s Department Store, downtown Vancouver. I must be somewhere on the edge of eight years old. The two of us are quite a lapful for Santa, … Read more
I was chatting with our friends’ 8 year old son Seth when out of his mouth popped this question. “Miss Rose, who made God?” I scrambled to answer this precocious blue eyed boy as best I could, on his terms.“Well, Seth, you can’t go back any further than God. He was in Eternity before Time/Space. … Read more
Walking through the chill spring morning, I look up at the bluest of skies. It couldn’t be bluer. I marvel at its depth, its infinity. And I remember a song that I love:Who will buy this wonderful morning?Such a sky you never did seeWho will tie it up with a ribbonAnd put it in a … Read more
I love this song, written by Dennis Jernigan, who had a glimpse into the heart of our heavenly Father.“When the night is falling and the day is doneI can hear You calling, “Come”!And I will come, while You sing over me.When the night surrounds meAll my dreams undoneI can hear You calling, “Come!”And I will … Read more
He is probably someone’s grandpa. He sits at a nearby table in our favorite restaurant on San Juan Island, a U.S. Navy cap firmly in place on his head. His plate of fish and chips waits for him. I would guess that he is hovering somewhere in his early 80’s. His washed-out blue eyes are … Read more