Left or right, Dad? Left. Up or down? Down.
The ornaments were laid out on the tray table in front of my father. As I picked each one up, I’d ask him where we should put it.
This is the first tree my dad and I have decorated together in at least 25 years. I was 21 and he was 58. Both ... Read More
Being lost is such a scary feeling.
I remember being lost in the hilly one-way streets of Athens, Ohio a few days after we had moved to town. The panic started to rise in my throat until it reached my eyes and flowed out as tears. I pulled over and called my husband at work. Repeatedly. Until he finally answered.
His voice ... Read More
I need a Year of Jubilee. How about you?
What is a Year of Jubilee, you ask?
Think of a Mardi Gras celebration that covers the entire nation for an entire year.
Now take away the sex, booze, and parades. Add in a whole lot of forgiveness.
That’s the Year of Jubilee.
In the Old Testament, we learn the Year of Jubilee happened every 50 ... Read More
I can remember my anger like it was yesterday. It happened 29 years ago, and yet I can still see myself yelling, stomping and slamming a bedroom door.
I was a junior in high school and a boy invited me to visit him at his college two hours from our hometown.
We weren’t dating. We were just friends and he thought I’d ... Read More
Someone out there today needs an important reminder. Maybe it’s you. Here it is:
God is still in the business of miracles.
God is still providing a way.
God is so big and yet concerned about the tiniest details in your life.
I’m sitting here with tears in my eyes because of a miracle He has produced in our lives. Someday I’ll get to ... Read More
Some grandmothers cross-stitch or quilt beautiful gifts for their grandchildren as lasting reminders of their love. Not Paula Larsen. The 75-year-old great-grandmother recorded a gospel album to give her family a special gift of love.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I popped in the CD. I certainly didn’t anticipate hearing the powerful, husky, beautiful voice that filled the air ... Read More
The window in front of me when I write is immense. My office is in a sunroom, so whichever way I turn my head, I see nature.
The sun is starting to get out of bed a little later each morning, so most days when I walk into my office, it’s dark. An interesting reflection is created in the windows ... Read More
I feel like I’m writing our annual Christmas letter either three months early or nine months late.
Jordan’s a junior now and excelling at everything…
Charlie is a freshman in high school and learning to drive. Everyone stay off the sidewalks! HaHaHa!
At age 10, Ben is still a fishing enthusiast…
I took the summer off from my blog, newsletter and ... Read More
I went to bed Saturday night filled with grief for my Fargo. I say “my Fargo” because after living there for ten years and having two babies in its hospitals, it became mine.
I began getting updates online when the peaceful protest turned violent. My heart ached for the downtown shop owners who waited to see if the front windows ... Read More
When people who want to write a book or start a blog come to me for advice, I always tell them the same thing: sit down.
Sit down at your computer or sit down with your favorite notebook, even when you have nothing to say.
Just sit down and wait.
I tell them to give themselves 15 minutes of quiet ... Read More
