One Person Can Make a Difference

It is 7:06 am on an early fall Sunday morning. The sun has not risen and though light is visible no vegetation has dressed in their colors for the day. Nature’s palette is muted in shades of gray and black. There are thousands of people living around the peaceful Lake Washington which spans at this point from Mercer Island to Seattle. My house sits about a quarter mile above the lake. I relish the solitude as the Cascade Mountains begin to peer at me through my window. Quiet and serene the undisturbed mantle of the water bursts with a roar. One lone person in one loud and noisy motorboat shatters the morning’s stillness forcing those in its’ vicinity to stumble from their slumber in an undignified exit from their dreams.

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Is it Really a Bargain?

Yesterday, my son and I went to the big box store determined to be one of the winners in the quest for a bargain.I wanted a reduced priced television. He was looking for a deal on a laptop. We were doomed to failure before we even started shopping. Outside of the store an employee informed the entering crowd that all of the big tickets items were gone. Among other items there were no more specials on televisions or laptops. We decided we would brave the hundreds of shoppers and take a look around anyway. The sign in front of the television display reminded the shoppers to not forget to buy the accessory package for the LCD television. I turned to my son and said, “Costco is selling the whole package, tv and accessories for less than this supposed deal.” My missed sale tv really was not a bargain at all. Reflecting on this experience made me wonder how many times I’ve decided to do something that looked like I would be saving something only to find out that in the long run I’ve pa...

One Golden Moment

We sit laughingly 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 and her husband and children from Virginia. . Here we all are, all of us together. My own husband, sons and I have flown in from the West Coast 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 aunts and uncles...

Songs in the Night

This week marks eight years since the sudden and unexpected passing of my late husband Winston. That was a strange land for me. The land of loss and death. At first I needed to hear others sing because the song in my heart was frozen with grief and I was traumatized. I’d sing God’s song later with help from others. There were tapes I listened to that reminded me of the Lord’s song. It was the voice on the radio or the television that told me God would bring me out of these trials. It was the voice of my mother telling me and reminding me of God’s faithfulness to me in the past. How could I sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? In the next phase on my journey through grief after the sudden death of my husband I tried to sing along with those who were on the journey with me At first I’d only get a few words out before the tears started to flow. I kept trying day after day to sing along. I was reminded of God’s word. I was strengthened by constantly hearing the words of faith and ...

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