This past week the world learned the famous evangelist, Billy Graham, died. My Facebook feed was full of odes to his life and legacy – mine included. Billy Graham’s life changed a generation. And that generation is changing the next generation. But there is another story about the success of Billy Graham that is intriguing to me. The story of Ruth Bell Graham. Billy’s wife. The mother of his five children. As I young girl in my bedroom during the tumultuous and often lonely junior high Keep Reading...
Pool Gone Rogue
It’s unseasonably cold where I live. We're getting snow, sleet and freezing rain. That is such a rarity in South Texas so people are bundling up, going outside to play in the dusting of snow and trying to build a snowman with a fistful of the cold, white stuff. It is craziness. Last night as I went out in the backyard with the dogs “one last time” before bed, all was quiet - except for the roar from my neighbors’ pools. And the sound took me back. Back to another cold Texas night... My Keep Reading...
What Snowman Noses Taught Me About Holiday Cheer
When I first married, I started a Santa collection. It didn’t take me long to figure out that there wasn’t a lot of variety when it came to Santas. They were all pretty much wearing red suits trimmed in white fur, were fat with a long beard and twinkling eyes. So I switched my collecting efforts to snowmen - and snowwomen and snow boys and snow girls. I have snowmen made out of square blocks and ice cubes. I have snowmen standing on their heads, roasting marshmallows, and decorating a moose Keep Reading...
The Veteran Who Never Was and Why
This is the story of a man who wanted to serve his country but never got the chance – because of sacrificial love. We rode in silence. He had his thoughts. I had mine. When my uncle died several years ago, I had the honor to be charged with the task of getting my 96-year-old grandfather, who I called Papa, to the funeral. My Papa lived nearly five hours away from the town where his son would be buried so we had a lot of time in the car together. I had wonderful relationships Keep Reading...
Top Marriage Tips After 30 Years
Three years into our marriage, I was about 4 months pregnant. We were the first of our friends to get pregnant and were determined a pregnancy and a baby wouldn’t impact our lives in a major way. (I can hear you parents laughing now!) As part of our plan not let children impact our lives, we decided to meet at a lake to spend the weekend with our childless college friends. We picked a lake halfway between where we lived and booked a cabin. The cabin information said that it had a bed and a Keep Reading...
Hope Mommies Post
This is a very personal blog post I wrote for HopeMommies.org. Stones of Remembrance Keep Reading...
What “THE TOILET” Taught Me
My husband said that I’m telling everyone about THE TOILET but I’m not. I’ve told a few people close to me but I haven’t told everyone – until now! Now, I want to tell everyone. Last week, my husband and I rented a house with three other couples and can I just say I think it is a great idea to go on vacation with people you don’t know well if you are a writer? Why? Because it gives you lots of new blogging fodder. Like stories about a mother who makes a sacrifice for her unprepared daughter Keep Reading...
What a Buzzard Taught Me
I was in my yard when something in the sky caught my eye. I looked up to see a large black bird, aka buzzard, flying toward me. And then it scooped down and then up again and then to the right and to the left and down again. I stopped what I was doing and watched the bird dart and dive. Curious. As the big bird flew closer to me, I realized what was causing it to fly so sporadically. A little bird. Since I am not an ornithologist or even a “birder,” I’m not sure what type the little bird Keep Reading...
What Hummingbirds Taught Me
I absolutely love watching the hummingbirds come to feed this time of year. I anxiously wait for the first little flyer to show up in the spring and I spend the summer mesmerized by the tiny hummers. They are tiny but they can be fierce. There are enough spots for all of the birds to sit and drink at the same time but there is always one bully bird waiting nearby to chase the hungry birds. I never tire of watching the tactical maneuvers of the hummingbirds as they fight for a spot at the Keep Reading...
Mother’s Day Redeemed
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth. 3 John 1:4 I haven’t always been able to proclaim that. There was the year I boycotted Mother’s Day – and my husband and children went along with it quite successfully. You can read (and laugh) about the lovely occasion here. Raising three daughters had its trying moments. There were moments when I would declare, “You are making me loose my religion!” Clothes piled on the floor – yet again, missed curfews, arguing Keep Reading...
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