“Well, God works in mysterious ways,” she said as we talked about our present trials. I wondered how that was meant to be comforting. So, as I pondered the phrase, I came to see that it is REAL comfort for… Continue reading

“I love you more than ever,” I tell Bev. Her illness draws us together. We cling to each other tightly. Our prayers mingle along with our tears. We are open, vulnerable, nothing between us, no hard words tolerated, no resentment… Continue reading

“Think positive!” sounds good when a person is wrestling with some set of circumstances that can be changed with perseverance and courage. But, when the challenge is life and death, optimism has met its limit. Death tosses aside our slogans… Continue reading

The pain, stress, uncertainty of the last few days came calling for payment yesterday ‘round 5. A tray in Bev’s hospital room jammed and that tiny ‘crisis’ triggered a flood of emotion in both of us. A spark of impatience… Continue reading

My kids (yes, the youngest is 32 so they are not really kids) have blessed their Mom and me in this time of illness. They call, encourage, re-arrange schedules to help care for her. Through sentimental tears I remember when… Continue reading

Shock, surprise, anger, fear, excitement – emotions make us who we are. They are the texture, the color, the flavor of life. Emotion is not always pleasant, sometimes overwhelming. One physician describes our fear response, for example, like this: “Sequences… Continue reading

“Is there any Word?” I cry and, God appears to be silent! I turn my ear to Heaven and there is no reply, at least none that is apparent. I pray to understand and hear only more silence. Friends who… Continue reading

The TV in the corner of the waiting room caught my eye. There on the screen three half-naked men, with well-toned bodies, tanned and oiled, ran around in an audience of screaming women. Most of them were not teenagers! On… Continue reading

My habit in the first moments of consciousness is to talk with the Lord. They are usually very simple prayers, often just phrases, that reflect my concerns of the particular day.  I present myself to my Lord, inviting Him to… Continue reading

took some time to “count my blessings” this morning. I remembered the first time I saw the woman whose been at my side for 40 years.  The summer of 1974 we fell in love and the memory makes me smile. … Continue reading