December is a month of anticipation. Taking time to light Advent candles brings quiet reflection. The word Advent means arrival. The advent wreath is a circle representing unending love of Christ and eternal life. Each candle gives us a special meaning throughout each week of December. The First candle...
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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...
July 2020 has certainly been an unforgettable month. Due to corona virus-19 July 4th parades, firework displays, large gathering for picnics, symphony concerts, and more events were canceled. Beaches were closed . Even the famous Coney Island Hot Dog Festival was reduced to 5 people eating in 2 groups,...
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,...
A few weeks ago I “pulled a muscle.” You’d think at my age that I would know better than to break up the packed ice on the sidewalk outside my house, and heave the snow over my shoulder to the verge; but it was such a pretty, blue-sky...
Here we are in January. The new year. This time the new Decade. January is the month when we make Resolutions—and usually forget them in a week. Instead of resolutions, I offer myself one word, an Intention, that I can muse on and meander beside throughout the year. One...
Christmas is a time for rejoicing in the birth of Jesus. What glorious music is heard throughout this beautiful season. “Silent Night” is a German hymn that reflects this wonderful gift from God. Silent Night,Holy Night Silent night, holy night, All is calm, all is bright. Round yon virgin...
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...
Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday. For one thing, it’s become so commercial, with its orange plastic turkeys and pumpkins, not to mention the tinsel of Christmas that started way back at Hallowe’en, that you can hardly remember to offer thanks. It’s ugly. I want beauty, kindness, thoughtful stillness,...
I come from a long line of “believers” (in Jesus Christ), and for all of those people who shared their faith stories with me, I am eternally grateful! I was christened in my grandmother’s christening gown when I was six weeks old at the First Methodist Church in Andalusia,...
Autumn surprises us with glorious, amazing sunsets. God has given us the pleasure of seeing these beautiful sunsets with the joy of knowing a new day is coming. Autumn will soon turn into the cold days of winter. Still, the anticipation of cold frosty mornings with winter blue skies...
“…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...
Genesis 8:22 (Revised Standard) While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. Psalm 104:19 (Revised Standard) Thou hast made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting. AUTUMN IS HERE! As I write...
“Look, the trees are turning,” she said, glancing out the picture window toward the New Hampshire woods, and everything in me wanted to cry out: Not yet! Too soon! September marks the beginning of the new year. The children are back at school, anxious or excited, happy with their...
God gives us time to reminisce and enjoy the simple things in life. He wants us to share our joy and love with others in happy pleasures. Blowing bubbles is fun at any age. As my grandchildren have grown, I fondly remember teaching them to blow bubbles. There were...
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...
St. Patrick’s Day is a day of Irish glee! Parades, everything green is worn, time for drinking green beer, turning the Chicago River green, and even eating green Kristy Kreme Donuts. Music of Ireland is exciting, fun, happy, and beautiful. Traditional Irish instruments include the fiddle, tin whistle, bodhran...
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...
When St. Patrick came back to Ireland as an ordained priest to convert the Irish, he used the local traditions in order to get the people to listen to him. In order to explain the Holy Trinity to the local population he would pick a shamrock to show the...
“It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.” George Washington. The painting accompanying this article hangs in my church during the winter months and was...
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....
Music is a beloved part of the Christmas season. From the Messiah’s Hallelujah” chorus to Burl Ives singing “A Holly Jolly Christmas” music brings precious memories. As I was shopping at the mall, I heard people humming along to the Christmas music. with smiles on their faces. Christmas parties...
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...
Topaz is a transparent stone that can reflect a variety of colors, including blue, yellow, red, and brown. The other birthstone for November is citrine, known for its beautiful yellow hue. These colors are very prominent in autumn. The stones seem to accentuate this month of gratefulness. Thanksgiving is...
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...
Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. An opal is an amazing stone of iridescent colors. It can pick up the colors around it. Just like October, there is an array of vibrant colors surrounding us. Red, yellow, orange, rust, gold, and green cover the hillsides...
Blue is my favorite color. The beauty of a pristine azure blue sky brings happiness to my heart and a smile to my face. My bedroom is even painted a peaceful blue hue. This summer I spent a few days traveling to 4 national parks in Colorado and Utah....
I know that it is September when the leaves begin to turn brown, or I find them in little fluffy mounds all along the ground near the creek. The spiders are still out in force with cobwebs that festoon our back porch and other insects are still sneaking into...
How quickly my opinions change. One moment I am sneering at Michael Cohen, the President’s long-time lawyer and fixer, a hired hand whom we see dipping his fingers in the milk of corruption, sipping from a bowl that is growing larger and larger as he sits before it...
A favorite character of The Muppets is Kermit, the Frog. He has a long term relationship with Miss Piggy. There is an understanding of love. However, Kermit admits that he has been somewhat of an outsider because of his color – GREEN. In his song, “It’s Not Easy Being...
Perhaps because of my name and its derivation (philo-sophy: the love of wisdom), I have a special relationship with wisdom. I remember when I was a teenager that my prayer — with heart-yearning anguish — was “To Understand.” “Understand what?” someone might have asked, had I opened the secret...
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...
Proverbs 2:6 (NIV) For the Lord gives wisdom, from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. For the United States of America, Independence Day, July 4th, is a family celebration.There are bar-b-ques, picnics, parades, and fireworks. From small town USA to New York’s Macy’s and Washington D.C.’s spectacular fireworks...
Hooray for Summer! Time to visit family, explore beaches, hike mountain trails, join in a service project, or just relax around the swimming pool (if we are lucky!) God created this glorious beauty in the world for us to experience everyday. Genesis 1:1 states, “In the beginning God created...
John 3: 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. (NIV) As the March winds approach, it brings fond memories of childhood. Running freely with...
“For unto us a child is born. His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 (King James) In December of 2007, the Knoxville Choral Society had the opportunity to travel to Israel. The concert tour was entitled: “Prepare the...
June; the month for weddings. Time for the couple to express their enduring love to each other with family and friends sharing in this special day. In 1Corinthians 13:4-7,13:(Revised Standard Version) love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist...
Song of Solomon: 2:1 I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. I have always enjoyed singing rounds. The harmony is simple. However, there needs to be a close connection between the singers. One of my favorite childhood rounds is “White Choral Bells.” This is such a delicate flower with...
The seed is with Christ and the harvest is with Christ. May we be swept into God’s granery. The sea is with Christ And the fish are with Christ. May we be swept into God’s nets. From growth to maturity, and from maturity to death, May you, O Christ,...
In 2013, I traveled with the Knoxville Choral Society to Ireland. One thing that I really wanted to see were the Celtic High Crosses, a national symbol. The beauty of these crosses, either modern or traditional, were scattered throughout the lush green land of Ireland. In Drumcliff, County Sligo,...
Everyone has their favorite Christmas movie. Mine happens to be “White Christmas” with Bing Crosby, Rosemary Cloony, and Danny Kaye. I watch it every year. In Tennessee, we rarely have a white Christmas. However, when it does snow, it is magical. Seeing the snowflakes gently falling in quiet beauty is...
It has been my experience that sometimes the rhythm of the year itself can offer healing and consolation to our hearts. Take for instance the changing of the seasons. Or simply the landscape that nature affords us in the difference of night and day. The rhythm of the church...
I AM OLD GLORY I Am Old Glory: For more than ten score years I have been the banner of hope and freedom for generation after generation of Americans. Born amid the first flames of America’s fight for freedom, I am the symbol of a country that has grown from...
Jelly Bean Prayer: Poet unknown Red is for the Blood He gave, Green is for the Grass He made, Yellow is for the Sun so bright, Orange is for the Edge of night, Black is for the Sins we made, White is for the Grace He gives, Purple is...
Proverbs 22: 6 – Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from you. (NIV) “A Tribute To Hands” Author: Kay Mills Big hands, little hands, hands that fit just right. Warm hands, graceful hands, hands that squeeze too...
“They shall call His name Emmanuel…God with us.” Matthew 1:23 KJV You could feel the awe and wonder, you could sense it in the air—- the love gift in the manger was for mankind everywhere. And as that place received Him in the...
How often have we seen this famous Norman Rockwell painting and thought of our own Thanksgiving family traditions? Time to share family stories, noticing how much the grandchildren have grown, bringing a favorite Thanksgiving dish, cooking all day and hoping the food will not be burned or too dry, and giving thanks...