This is a quote and a text from Sophy in May, when I had not heard from her for a while and was concerned… “I have a new story for you: when in DC a few weeks ago I woke up with what I thought was a heart...
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I was talking with a friend the other day, who had inadvertently hurt me. (Hurts are usually inadvertent: Who would choose a friend who would deliberately hurt you?) He said, “I don’t take responsibility for hurting you. If your hurt button got pushed, it has nothing to do with...
For a whole year and a half, I have tried to attract birds to my garden. I put up a birdbath, and grieved when no bird came to drink. I put up a bird feeder, and watched the squirrels hang upside down, feeding at leisure on what had promised...
Easter. Rebirth. Resurrection. Spring. It is also the time when we celebrate the Resurrection. Or, if you’re like me, puzzle over it, filled with questions and doubt: did Jesus resurrect bodily, or was it a mystical return from the dead? Had he fully died? Maybe he went into a...
Every month, as I sit down to write my blog, I think, “This will be my last post. It’s time to stop. Too many people are creating, publishing, screaming for recognition, for me to add one more word.” (As if anyone is actually reading my posts, itself perhaps an...
For many years (40? 50?) no holiday celebration in our family has been complete without the family favorite: Polish Baked Mushrooms. (see below) Not only is it rich with eggs and heavy cream and butter (and everything’s good with butter and cream), but filled with protein and fat. You’d...
Sixteen years ago I prayed to God to bring me a Relationship, the companion of my heart. I was lonely. I wanted a man to share my life. I thought a man would heal the ache in my soul. Instead I got a horse. A horse? I...
This is a story of how lovingly our needs are met. It’s also about an angel, but mostly about how Spirit, the Guiding Principle, the Universe, God, whatever you choose to call this incomprehensible Mystery, works invisibly to heal our pain. The solutions are not what we’d impose if...
Dear Janine, If there is one benefit to this coronavirus isolation, it’s giving us the luxury of time. It’s not boring. To quote Cicero, “ If you have a garden and a library, you have everything.” But when, like me, you live alone, the hours are long, especially on...
In December 1982, a Mel Gibson film entitled “The Year of Living Dangerously “was released. We are only a few months into a new year but I have already dubbed 2020 with the same title as The Year of Living Differently. For me, the difference began 17 days into...
Dear Janine, The coronavirus seems to be the only topic of conversation these days, assuming you can even find someone to have a conversation with . . . as we stand separated by our fears. I write this sitting on the front steps of my little cottage in Massachusetts,...
The accompanying photo is from a correspondent, Pam Urquidi-Wilson, who sees angels in the clouds. On crutches, with painful spinal issues, she lives with a generous, boundless faith in the Holy Spirit, seeing angels everywhere. It’s been a long time since I told a story of angels coming...
Christmas is a time of giving. What we don’t always remember is that it’s also a time of receiving, and that receiving is itself a gift. It’s hard to receive. I think it’s sometimes as hard to receive as it is to ask for help. Some people naturally know...
“…lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white unto harvest…” John 4:35 KJV I’m not a big fan of Halloween. In fact, the only things I like about the Hallowed Eve is the movie Hocus Pocus and hearing 2 songs on the radio: Monster Mash and...
Summertime, and the living is easy. Our cultural memories are rich with summertime: the slap of a screen door to the excited calls of children; of dozing in a hammock over a good book or casting a fishing line onto the black river; of days on the beach, ice...
There is a saying in the 12-step Alcoholic Anonymous program that “You will not regret the past, nor wish to close the door on it.” And mostly this is true, except when I find myself awake in the darkest hours of a morning night defenseless against the Inner Judge...
I can recall hearing my grandmother say that sometimes before a social event or having guests in her home, her stomach would be “all tied up in knots.” Some folks call it having “butterflies” — that anxious feeling that causes our stomachs to feel a tad uneasy. Even singer...
The month of March is said to come in like a lion and out like a lamb, and as I write this, longing for lambs and warmth, the temperature with wind-chill here in the mid-Atlantic hovers in the low double digits, expecting yet more snow and the same dreary,...
1 onion, chopped 1 T. butter 3 (14 oz. cans) chicken broth 1 (32 oz.) frozen hash browns (diced, not shredded) 1 (10 oz. can) Cream of Celery soup 1 (10 oz. can) Cream of Chicken soup 1 1/2 cups milk 1 lb. Velveeta cheese Bacon bits (optional)...
A couple of nights ago I had this interesting dream of a couple of hanging pots with beautiful clover (or Shamrocks) trailing over the edge of each pot. The stems of each clover were connected to each other, with several of them being being next to each other. This...
In dark December, when everyone was talking about harking to angels, and the birth of the Baby and the return of the Light, the Atlantic Monthly published a story about demonic possession. (http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arcive/2018/23/catholic-exorcisms-on-the-rise/573943.) An acquaintance made sure I saw it: “I know you write about angels,” he wrote. “What...
We are already well into a new year; in fact, I’m posting this on January 25th, and that means 11 months from today is Christmas. Time certainly does fly. I am not one to make New Year’s Resolutions. I tried that for many years and only got frustrated when...
Not long ago a Canadian wrote me about a mysterious encounter he’d had with a homeless man, Helmut, who always carried in his shopping bags spiritual books, herbs, treats and notebooks, and you could imagine that many people thought this ragged man was probably a little crazy. But Helmut...
Ingredients: 1 Cup of sugar 1/4 Cup flour 1/8 tsp. nutmeg 1/2 Cup butter (1 stick) 1 recipe for plain pastry or 2 Pillsbury Pie Crusts (1 pkg.) 4 large fresh peeled peaches (when in season) 1/4 Cup water Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg. Cut in butter until “crumbly”. Sprinkle...
Winter comes with gloomy, cold, rainy, snowy days. A fireplace for centuries was used to provide heat and cook food to castles, cabins, and homes. A place to gather for warmth, family time, peace, and security. In the 21st century a fireplace seems to be more for visual enjoyment....
Our precious cat, Miss Ellie, passed last week just 3 months shy of her 20th birthday…yes, I said “20th”!!! I truly believe that cats do have nine lives—maybe more! As a very young kitten, my son rolled a back tire of his truck over her resulting in a dislocated...
It is Thanksgiving week, and I am late with offering my few words before the T-Day feast of gladness that we are called to, because in the last weeks it feels as if all I’ve done is attend memorial services (three in three days; others earlier). Each service took...
2 pkg. Frozen chopped spinach 1 large pkg. Cream cheese (8 oz.) 1 stick of margarine, divided in half grated rind of one lemon Pepperidge Farm dressing crumbs (herb seasoned) Blend cream cheese, ¼ stick of margarine and lemon rind. Cook spinach according to directions. Drain well. Squeeze out...
“Choose this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 The American Gem Society website (www.americangemsociety.com) says that those folks born in October get to choose between two birthstones—tourmaline or opal. Each gem unveils nearly limitless possibilities offering a...
This is an all-time family favorite! Just use a deep dish pyrex or other oven-safe pie plate. 1 pie dish (or aluminum pie pan) Pie Crust (from Pillsbury’s “All-ready Pie Crust”) 2 heaping tablespoons flour 1 pkg.(2 or 3 cups) Of grated, mixed cheese (colby-jack, or 4-cheese Mexican Blend...
Have you ever noticed how many songs have the word “blue” in their titles? Moody Blue, Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain, Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue?, Blue Moon of Kentucky, Blue Velvet, and Blue Suede Shoes just to name a few. Very often we use the...
These are great cookies to start the fall season, not too heavy but the right amount of spice to get you ready for the chilly fall weather. They are also incredibly easy to make since they start with a cake mix. Ingredients: 1 spice cake mix (18.25 oz) 2/3...
The phrase “green with envy” can be traced back to the ancient Greeks. And years later, William Shakespeare wrote these lines in Othello: “Beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on”. Envy usually precedes jealousy…and unchecked jealousy can lead...
You can use almost any kind of summer fruit for these shortcakes, whatever you can find that is fresh! Ingredients: 8 cups pineapple, slices thin 5 tablespoons sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 5 tablespoons sugar 8 tablespoons...
My childhood years were spent in a rural farming community—not a lot of folks. Amidst that small population I can remember at least three ladies named Ruby. It must have been a popular name during the times they were born. It was never one of my favorite names but...
Make a half of a cup of simple syrup. Let it cool to room temperature. Use 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar. Simmer (cook slowly) over low heat until the sugar dissolves. (Do not stir the sugar while it is dissolving, just keep an eye on it to...
No matter what the calendar may say, I think Summer officially begins the day I see my first firefly of the year. And that event happened on May 31st this year. Since childhood I have been fascinated by the firefly although in those growing up years, we called them...
Walking on the beach Sounds of the ocean Finding a patch of thick green moss in the woods and taking your shoes off and standing barefoot on it. A game of horseshoes A game of croquet Homemade ice cream Swimming Water skiing Eating a Georgia or South Carolina just-picked...
This is a recipe for two 8″ cakes for one tier of cake.To make a 6″ tier half the recipe, for a 10″ tier double the recipe. Ingredients: 4 eggs, room temperature 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2...
When I automatically set the table for dinner, it never occurs to me that I have to prepare not only the “plate” upon which the food is placed but that I am actually creating the environment in which eating together makes memories. Which is to say that how and...
Lessons in Loving Family Exodus 20:12: “Honor your father and your mother…” (NET) Recently, I have experienced something new and heartbreaking that has taught me much about loving family. Our family has had to move our mother into an assisted living community. While it is the best thing for...
One of our family’s favorite places to visit is the beach, and we visit multiple times per year. On a recent trip to the beach, I noticed something that reminded me of family and the various family combinations. While walking along the seashore and looking into the ocean, there...
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1New International Version (NIV) September brings many changes in our household. We celebrate five birthdays, some of us return to work, and all of us enjoy watching the lush green leaves turn to...
Like many families who live near the mountains, our family vision of peace includes snow-covered lawns, ice covered trees, brisk weather, hot beverages and conversation. When the children were young, we spent much time watching the snow drift toward earth, making snow angels, sledding, and of course making snow...
The True Meaning of Joy As a teacher educator, I see most of life through the eyes of a book or some educational experience. One of my favorite concepts to teach prospective teachers is the value of understanding the meanings and origins of the words we read. Frequently,...
Holidays are most certainly for family. We share gifts, food, stories of long past events, and most importantly time with those whom we love most. We see goodness in family members and others everywhere we look. What could be more fun? Enjoying family includes many opportunities for modeling and...
Summer is officially here! School is out, and we can take a break from work obligations. It is time for vacations and enjoying our families. This doesn’t mean that we stop learning. It means that we can learn about things we enjoy in places where we want to be...