Patricia's Principles for Living

We sit laughing around the huge mound of presents under the tree in the big living at my parent’s home on High Street in Philadelphia. The doorbell rings. In bounds the ones for whom we’re waiting, my sister Evelyn and her husband Ed and children from Virginia. . Here we all are, all of us together. My own husband, sons and I have flown in from Seattle, Washington to spend the holidays on the East Coast. Tons of presents together with squiggly grandchildren and aunts, uncles and grandparents make for a memorable scene. For me it’s a golden moment in time. All is right in the world. Christmas tree lights twinkle. Someone takes up the task to start calling names. Will we ever get through all of these presents? As the presents are picked up for distribution they seem to uncover another dozen hiding underneath. Well, there are eight brothers and sisters who have produced 12 grandchildren at this point. Such delight from squealing boys and girls and agreeing oohs and aahs from parents aun

Earlier this year it was brought home to me in a vivid way that God is concerned about the details of our lives. I came home from work early because I was going to catch a train to Portland at 2:30 for a memorial service at six o'clock. If all worked as planned I would only be a few minutes late for the service. On the way home I called my youngest son to ask him to come with me so he could drive my car back home and park it. He agreed. When I walked into the house I saw my oldest son. I didn't know he was there. I asked if he would take me instead of the younger son. He agreed to do so. He started to go an unfamiliar way. I asked him where we were going. He said I'm taking you the back way. Everything looked unfamiliar. The next thing I know we were on what looked like a country road with lots of trees and very few houses. We both heard a flap, flap, flap. He asked, "Mother do you have a flat tire?" “I don't think so,” I replied. All of a sudden there w