Life is full of things people anticipate with eagerness. A birth, graduations, weddings, parties, visits, anniversaries are some of the things which we anticipate with eagerness. Not so much for some other experiences such as academic tests, physical endurance situations, medical procedures, criticism of our efforts. These things may give us a sense of dread. 

Broad smiles and welcoming hugs abounded when the seven lady friends gathered for a face-to-face time of fellowship and prayer. Joy was the ruling emotion. Long-time friendships offer warm, gratifying relationships. Sharing the cares that weigh on one another and taking those concerns to God lightens the burdens. Friends welcome the opportunity of gathering for

The unusual arrangement of chairs puzzled us when we entered a room in our church used for many kinds of gatherings. Different in color and shape, why was this tall, black leather chair placed, of all places, in the midst of the front row of standard, matching blue, cushiony chairs? If it was for a

“We can see you in four months.” That response is becoming commonplace to a request for an appointment with a specialist. Doctor’s schedules are filled up way into the future. “I’ll make that appointment if I’m still alive,” isn’t always a joke answer if a patient is feeling miserable. How did we get to this

A recent request to write about something I treasure got me thinking. I wrote about a scrapbook. Another person wrote about a piece of jewelry. Another person selected a piece of artwork. In every case, the item was valued because it represented a person in our lives who mattered and was loved a lot. Because

My children went together to give me a marvelous gift—a digital picture frame. With great grandchildren scattered from a western state to the mid-west as well as the deep south and coastal Mid Atlantic, I love the pleasure of seeing their dear faces and activities.  From baby coos to tricycle antics and horseback lessons, I

Practically every family who has pets has had the experience of discovering one is missing.  A traumatic experience especially if the pet “belongs” to one of the children. Little Jingle Bells, a loving little black and brown kitty, was missing for two and a half days from a home where a camera had recorded pictures

The museum was small, an old gasoline station repurposed and full of memorabilia to bring better understanding of the life and dangers of the police. One wall contained painted portraits of those brave officers who lost their lives serving their community. It also contained evidence of the policemen’s effort to connect with their citizens. One

When I was a kid, Valentine’s Day was a special day at school. Some elementary classrooms appointed a committee to decorate a box to hold the valentines the students brought. In other classes, the teacher provided a box already decorated to hold the valentines until time to distribute them. In my day, students didn’t usually

Observing the hospital nurses while accompanying a family member during a recent hospitalization awed us. Even in a hospital full to the brim with the emergency room overflowing onto gurneys in the halls, amazing nurses maintained cheerful, encouraging attitudes. They carefully saw to the medicines, schedules, comfort, and wellbeing of patients. Some patients were in