The phone call brought amazing, unexpected peace and joy. Who would have anticipated such grand transformations for the two of us, since the call contained some unhappy situations. There are lots of reasons which cause us to anticipate either good or bad results from different activities depending on the circumstances. Happy expectations bring us pleasure,

If relationships are loving, the very word, reunion, fills us with pleasure. What a delight we experience when we see long absent friends or family. We are so glad to feast our eyes on people we love, to soak up the sound of their voices in genuine heart to heart conversations, to bask in the

Complaints spewed across the gathering, making me think of Goldilocks and the three bears. The bears complained about everything. None of the three bears, the papa, mama, or baby bear agreed on what their complaint was. The porridge was too hot or too cold. The bed was too soft or too hard. Contentment is not

Mindfulness is a word frequently used these days by TV commentators. It seems to suggest applying our mind in a higher level of purposeful concentration at any given moment, to focus on whatever we are experiencing with a greater degree of attention or enjoyment of a certain sight, thought, or concept rather than allowing distractions

Several times a year my phone rings, and I answer it to hear the voice of a very loved first cousin. What a special treat to catch up with another branch of our large, wildly scattered family.  We find out what’s going on in each other’s lives and feel the warm, fuzzy feeling that family

What a blessing to have out-of-state family visit us. Family visitors rank in the top tier of immense blessings. Whenever we are privileged to spend time under the same roof with beloved family members, we feel extremely fortunate. All the years that lie behind any family relationship creates foundations of common experiences, shared values, and

In some rooms of modern hospitals, the walls are awash with complicated gadgets, switches, plugs, tubes, and all sorts of equipment that allows the staff to quickly access whatever help a patient might need in an emergency.  These walls can be literal life savers when used by knowledgeable, trained people. We can thank God we

Do you ever marvel at the amazing things people think up and stand in awe that someone could come up with such different concepts.  We stood in a museum recently and marveled at the different approach to displaying famous pictures of art that moved around the room probably as a result of a projector or

Recently, some combination of circumstances piled in all at once creating a major test. I didn’t pass. Sometimes we don’t have any control over a particular happening in our life. Things happen to us or around us that make a mighty difference in our situation, or our emotions, or our opportunities, and we didn’t create

What a wonderful privilege it is to praise our God side by side with a group of believers. Not only is it a privilege; it brings blessings with it. The time we spend in church singing praises to our God serves important purposes. It creates a sense of unity and connection with our fellow worshippers.