Writer, Speaker, Editor, Blogger
The new year is like a blank canvas awaiting first brush strokes. You have options about how to fill that canvas—the preparation, colors, shading, and picture type. Will you choose a self-portrait with clarity and depth, or one that is a jumble of Picasso-esque forms? To gain perspective, glance back at last year’s portrait. Are […]
Beneath a bejeweled sky, a baby’s cry pierced the night. Animal sounds and smells hovered in the air as a young mother placed her newborn on fabric strips spread across a hay-filled feed trough. God’s son entered the world inauspiciously, in a dirty stable, an unsuitable location for any human birth, especially the birth of […]
The holidays bring joyous festivities, hustle and bustle, and time with family, but for many, grief is also present. Some grieve the loss of loved ones. Others experience the nostalgia of childhood holiday memories or gatherings that no longer happen. Still others grieve ongoing relationship challenges or difficult memories of unpleasant holidays past. This year, […]
German organist and composer George Frideric Handel lived in England for most of his life and had a career writing music for celebrations, musical productions, and worship. One of Handel’s most famous works is Messiah, a long oratorio about the life of Christ that includes orchestra, chorus, and solos. Perhaps the most familiar song from […]
Have you noticed that things don’t always go as planned? Our Thanksgiving plans were upended by two precious grandbabies with high fevers. Upon hearing this news, I heard my daddy’s voice in my head, as I often do, saying, “You’ve got to learn to roll with the punches.” My father spent some years boxing while […]
Have you ever wished you had something so much, and been so focused on attaining it, you were miserable? Many times, we can’t be thankful for what we have because we’re so focused on what we’re lacking. And sometimes, when we want something we don’t have and can’t seem to get, we’re not only sad, […]
Do you know those who seem to focus on all that is negative? It’s exhausting to be around them, isn’t it? Many years ago, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale wrote a book titled The Power of Positive Thinking. It became an international bestseller. The book puts forth the idea that if you change your thinking it […]
My husband and I visited the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina last weekend. Although we have been many times before, I am always amazed by the house—the size and scope, building materials, architectural elements, and the massive foundation. Construction of the house took six years and involved roughly a thousand workers, including local crews […]
When I was a young child, during a season of heavy rain, the large creek behind our house, overflowed its banks. I remember my father placing a stake in the backyard to mark the edge of the water. Then, several times a day, he marked the water level on the stake. Eventually, the water level […]
Last weekend, my husband and I visited the H. L. Hunley museum in Charleston, South Carolina. For those of you not versed in Civil War history, Hunley was the first combat submarine. We were presented with a number of interesting facts during the tour. Many proved wrong my knowledge about the Hunley, including learning that […]