He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
My two-year old granddaughter was settling into her crib for a midday nap. Hop, the bunny, was in her arms and she was wrapped into her zippy sleep sack. Her mom had just finished reading Winnie the Pooh's Honey Trouble and we were tiptoeing out of the room, when her sleepy voice proclaimed, "Too much..."... Continue Reading →
I really wanted to honk.The light was green and the SUV in front of me was not moving. The driver must be texting. I was late for an appointment and my blood pressure was rising. I decided to ever so gently tap-tap the horn, but as I did so a jarring honk blasted forth. And... Continue Reading →
I was 10 years old... too old for a babysitter (I thought) but too young to be left alone in the evening, (so my parents thought.) They went to dinner parties at least three times a week, leaving me with our senior border collie, Shep, who barked at nothing and emitted gross smells of which... Continue Reading →
I just received a precious gift. Rosemarie's Bible. My effervescent mother in law, passed away from Covid in early January and we remain in a state of disbelief and grief. But holding her Bible reminds me how this dear woman lived a life of love and left a legacy of faith. Leather bound and in... Continue Reading →
Sludging through the snowy street under a gray sky, I tried to conjure up something to be grateful for. A squirrel scurried on a branch above. Thank you, God, for that reminder of your creativity. A leftover leaf clung to the bare branch, a vestige of the prior season, unwilling to let go. Thank you,... Continue Reading →
Cheryl (pseudonym) and I glanced at the wall clock in the Sunday School room. Fifteen minutes to go until the parents would return and retrieve their charges. In toddler time, that can feel like fifteen hours. We had completed our story time, our snack, our singing and free play. The craft was done and the... Continue Reading →
"Don't be like the other nine!" Mr. Olchesi used to say that repeatedly to the first graders in our Sunday School class as they stared at him, tilting their bewildered heads as my dog does, clearly annoyed that their snack time was delayed. Mr. Olchesi would then bow his head and say a prayer of... Continue Reading →
Laura (pseudonym) was a beloved kindergarten teacher at my school. She had a quiet, confident demeanor and she taught with heart. One colleague said of her, "If you spit in Laura's face, she would still smile at you." Everyone loved Laura, including me. Then one day I discovered what Laura and her husband did every... Continue Reading →
I was sifting through the mail when a familiar looking envelope caught my eye. At first I thought it was a letter addressed to me, but then I realized it was MY letter being returned to me. A birthday card I had mailed just a week earlier. It was addressed to Anna, a bed-ridden 90-year... Continue Reading →
We Christians are fond of saying, God really showed up. We love to share our God sightings. My personal sightings include the time I was walking to a podium, my heart pounding thunderously, and suddenly I lay eyes on my college speech professor sitting impossibly right in front of me. I had not seen Dr.... Continue Reading →
The loan officer hands me a pile of documents with yellow post-it arrows indicating where I am to sign. He hands me a pen. Now I don't know if this is a thing - or my own unique phobia. But I actually get nervous signing my name when others are watching. My signature disintegrates to... Continue Reading →
My niece and I have a monthly challenge of memorizing a Bible verse. We started this practice in early March, on the eve of the pandemic and just prior to her son's boarding a plane for his deployment to the mountains of Afghanistan. Her son is now living in a remote tent village where worries... Continue Reading →
"Every day my mother would name out loud 3 things she was grateful for. Toward the end of her life, it became increasingly difficult to identify her 3 ... but in the midst of tubes and pain, she still managed to give thanks to the God she had followed all her days." Grace (pseudonym) shared... Continue Reading →
"Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vine. Though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food. Though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls. Yet I will exult in the Lord. I will... Continue Reading →
Life comes at us in waves. Sometimes the waves bring the loss of a dear friend, finances in jeopardy, or an unwanted diagnosis. People glibly tell you, God will not give you more than you can handle. This is false theology. The Bible says that trials are coming and they are more than we can... Continue Reading →
Shadows and Shelters 