The best gift
Can you imagine being given a Christmas gift and not opening it for 20 years? Well, that’s exactly what I did. Year after year I unwrapped all of my other gifts and enjoy... »
Personal Accounts
Christmases past and present
Every year, Christmas comes too fast. That’s not to say I don’t look forward to it, as I surely do, along with all the little joys, decorations, and memories forged over... »
When you aren’t ready
Each year, December 25th comes around whether we’re ready or not. We often talk about how there’s so much we still need to get done, how we’re short on time and money, et... »
The road to happiness
When asked what it means to praise God, my then-four-year-old grandson Logan explained, “It’s when we tell God, ‘Good job!’” I chuckled when I heard that, but it got me t... »
Festivals of gratitude
Thanksgiving is a holiday observed in the United States, Canada, Liberia, Grenada, and St. Lucia, but much of the rest of the world seems to only know about it through va... »
Godliness with contentment
I was thinking about a Bible verse this morning as I walked through my neighborhood. I was thankful for the beautiful morning and for a healthy body that did not limit me... »
Thankful for setbacks
After my husband passed away, I was living alone with my younger children—one young adult who was already working, two teenaged boys, a younger daughter, and a preschoole... »
Exercising gratitude
“Enjoying exercise” has always seemed a contradiction in terms to me. Exercise is work, exhausting pushing-yourself-to-the-limit effort, and certainly not at the top of m... »
The road to peace of mind
A while ago, I went through one of those periods in life that seem to be overloaded with stress. There was a major crisis and tension on the work front, and all this spil... »
He remembered
“I met one of your former students at a party last night. We were talking about you,” wrote a friend of mine in an email. “He told me that you taught him to read.” Immedi... »
A tale of two gifts
Each year, we host a Christmas party at my house. All the guests bring something of approximately equal value, and we play a game to determine what gift we all end up wit... »
The lemonade cycle
Are you currently being hit with one trial, test, or difficulty after another? Are you wondering when or if things will ever start improving and getting back to normal? D... »
Different shoes
Often our understanding of the world is limited to what we know, and our worldview has been shaped by our experience—our culture, our education, our upbringing, our socio... »