Do you sometimes abandon efficiency and choose the scenic route? I do. While running errands, I drive out of my way to visit my favorite fall site—a street in our town that is lined with gingko trees. When the temperature cools, the green fan-shaped gingko leaves transform into brilliant splashes of yellow. When the leaves fall, the sidewalk looks like sunshine pooled on the earth, and it makes me happy. Think about the color palette God chooses for fall decorating. Red maple leaves, orange pumpkins, golden chrysanthemums, brown chestnuts, and more. They’re all pretty, but the yellow of the gingko…
Author: Jeannie Waters
What Are Your Time Gobblers?
I’m writing about gobblers today–not the ones we see at Thanksgiving–but the mischievous time gobblers. These pesky critters lurk around flashing neon signs to distract me. Did you know they wear costumes? Yes, they camouflage themselves to hide in my agenda. Time gobblers often dress in communication garb with accessories like text messages and phone calls. Some of them masquerade as computer or cell notifications. Others disguise themselves as those alluring store flyers with “SALE ENDS FRIDAY” and nest in my mailbox. When I walk through my house, more of these nuisances demand attention-swallowing valuable moments. A wilting plant, a…
Are You a Builder?
September 11, 2001 Americans mourn the events of that day but look forward with hope. After teaching English to high school second language learners, I heard a co-worker mention a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. Surely she is mistaken, I thought as I called my husband while traveling to the next school. He confirmed the horrific news. For several days, tears rolled down my cheeks during the Pledge of Allegiance and the music of our national anthem. I choked back sobs for the country I love and for fellow citizens who’d lost loved ones. Sympathy pooled in…
Change Someone’s Day by Noticing
My friend’s day changed when someone noticed. Angela, a young wife and mother of three, gave me permission to share her recent online post: To the mama in the Target parking lot that saw me struggling to unload three kids and yelled across the parking lot, “You’re doing great, Mama,” thank you for seeing me. To the mama in Chick-Fil-A who helped me lug my crew out to my van, thank you for seeing me. To the mama in Kroger who offered to give me a hand grocery shopping with my kiddos, thank you for seeing me. To each of…
Finding Joy in the Mud Puddles of Life
What can you see in a mud puddle? Maybe the answer depends on the angle of your view. Following suggested activities in Soul Care for Writers by Edie Melson1 I took pictures of various nature scenes including reflections in water. The only water available at the time I chose to snap pictures was a mud puddle. (My husband’s truck creates a depression in the ground when he turns his truck around to position it on the driveway.) Recent rainwater filled the crater and offered clear reflections. I took a picture, then walked around the puddle and snapped photos from different…