I remember when I was little carrying my dolls outside and playing house under a triangle of three red bud trees with their broad heart-shaped leaves providing a measure of privacy. Maybe that contributed to my love of trees. Today our home is surrounded by beautiful trees, gorgeous green foliage providing shade and beauty. The

Whether large or small, families are a blessing designed by God. Families can serve as cheerleaders for the children. Loyal families provide a support group for the adults. Strongly connected families can provide lots of fun, laughter, and precious memories for everyone. In our time of easy communication via cell phones, texts, or even old-fashioned

Little children don’t conceal their moods.  Their faces pout, or tears flow, or they use various kinds of verbal protests, including yelling or screams to proclaim their mood to anyone within eye or earshot. Adults can be more discrete, or not, according to the amount of self-disciple or effect they are trying to achieve either

Suddenly a flurry of dings on my phone signaled incoming texts containing an urgent need for prayer support from a friend which led to immediate prayer responses from a group of people who care about one another with all their hearts.  As well as expressing support, sometimes the group text dings the arrival of a

When I was a child, the word mending often meant my mother or grandmother was using a needle and thread to mend some garment that needed to be fixed before wearing it again. Perhaps a rip needed to be sewed up, a button replaced. or a patch sewn on the knee of a pair of

For a second, a pretty girl’s face flashed on the television screen. A moment later her face warped into a twisted scream followed by an ugly expression that matched her rant of hate filled words. Vitriol replaced beauty. Anger and hate damage our physical state as well as harming our exterior appearance. We pay the

Everyone knows that it is important to eat a well-balanced, healthy diet. The well-being of our bodies depends on how we feed it. How often do we reflect on the connection of what we think to the well-being of our minds? Are we harsh in our judgements of others? Do we hold grudges against others?

None of us remember our earliest months as babies on this earth, but whenever we adults have the privilege of participating in the life of a baby, we gain a lot of joy and accumulate lots of enjoyable memories—a combination of funny, lovely, and trying memories. New parents usually lose great gobs of sleep, but

Do you remember the children’s song?  “Oh Mister Moon, Moon, Great Big Silvery Moon won’t you please shine down on me?” The moon recently shone down on us for a long evening of driving across several states.  There in the sky, long before dark, the moon hung, magnificent above miles, of beautiful green trees. It

A recent newspaper article addressed the trend of today’s young generation who have arrived at the stage of life when childbearing has been a standard expectation. Many of these young people tell pollsters they never plan to have children. Or at least plan to delay parenthood for a long time until they are well established