Christmas hope
In February 2010, an earthquake and tsunami struck Constitución, Chile. The next Christmas, some friends and I planned to take boxes of aid to the many families who were... »
Personal Accounts
The meaning of Christmas
It’s Christmas, and I love to sing! It’s almost a subconscious action at this point—whether I’m walking or sitting or on my phone, I’ll be singing. It’s something I do th... »
A simpler kind of Christmas
I have taken a good hard look at my life this year. Seeing all the stuff I had gathered and realizing how happy others could be if I gave it away, I have simplified and d... »
Christmas oranges
Our family has a longstanding Christmas Day tradition of sharing tangerines before opening our presents. It’s a way to remember our grandparents and great-grandparents wh... »
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... »
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... »