“I can’t listen,” complained our youngest granddaughter when the adult conversation in the car prevented her from hearing her favorite song. We smiled at her use of “listen” and turned the CD player volume up. Problem solved. Most listening challenges are more complicated. This morning as I read a devotion, the stone deck fountain played soothing, peaceful notes as the water trickled down its sides. The sound provided perfect “background music” for my study and reminded me of God’s peace that flows in the hearts of believers who trust Him. In prayer, I released some anxious thoughts that threatened to…
Tag: COVID-19
Some Trust in Chariots
My daughter’s attention was riveted to the tale of a brave mongoose who protected an Indian family by fighting cobras. Proud of my efforts to introduce her to classic literature and convinced she was now old enough, I read the story she’d selected, a cartoon-illustrated version of “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” by Rudyard Kipling. Have you ever made what you deemed a wise decision but lived to regret it? “I loved Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Mama. He was brave. But, Mama, what if cobras get into our house? We don’t have a mongoose. Can we buy a mongoose, Mama?” “Honey, cobras don’t live in our part…
Sharing Hidden Treasures During the Pandemic
“Hey! Look what I found,” my husband said. In each hand he held a hidden treasure he’d discovered amid cleaning products under the kitchen sink. “That’s amazing,” I exclaimed, “Fantastic! I didn’t know we had any, but they were there all along.” An observer would have guessed we found gold nuggets. Hubby didn’t find gold, but maybe better than that, he scored, not one but two—drum roll please—containers of Clorox Wipes! Have you laughed with excitement when the grocery order contained toilet paper? We’ll tell great-grandchildren one day, “You think you have it rough? During the Covid-19 pandemic, we couldn’t…
“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…