My leg muscles screamed in protest as I gasped for breath and pulled myself upward to the next rest bench on the mountain trail. I promised myself, “Girlfriend, you WILL be in better shape next year!” Can you identify? For several years, our family of four participated in a volksmarch, a German term for people’s walk. Beginning at the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail near Helen, Georgia, we walked only five kilometers, but with steep inclines, the distance seemed much further. At the finish line, with relief and perspiration, we accepted our medals as family tradition mementos.…
Tag: 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Help a Sister Out
What joy to welcome my guest blogger today. Wife, mom, and writer extraordinaire, Dawn Bata is a new friend. When you read her short post, you’ll want to click on the book photo link at the bottom to check out her ebook. Her bio is there as well. You may want to purchase the ebook or recommend it to a friend, relative, or neighbor who needs encouragement. I’m loving these short but powerful devotions with endearing stories. Here’s Dawn’s post: Help a Sister Out When our middle daughter, Sophia, was eight years old, she ran her first season of…
“Gather” from a Distance
The childhood memory of going to a summer drive-in movie with neighbors produces an ear-to-ear grin on my face. The moms sat in lawn chairs and shelled butterbeans. The kids fished icy bottles of orange or grape sodas from a cooler to wash down salty, butter-laden popcorn. I don’t recall the title of the show, but I remember the excitement of gathering with neighbors at the drive-in theater. Fast forward several years to last month… “Hurry please, so we can sit–I mean park–on the front row,” I said to my husband as we visited a local church’s drive-in service. We…
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…
Be the “Sunflower” in Someone’s Day
Sunflowers make me smile. They just look sunny with their petals extending like rays of sunshine. These stunning beauties stand in contrast to the sky and nearby vegetation, punctuating the landscape with brilliant color. These flowers intrigue me for several reasons. Vincent van Gogh, working in southern France, selected sunflowers out of all of God’s creation as the subjects of five paintings in 1888 and 1889. Maybe the artist chose them because they naturally draw the eye or maybe the sunflowers he saw brightened his day. Sunflowers remind me of cheerful people who brighten the day wherever they are. Does…