“I think she died,” I said to my husband as I lamented the appearance of my friend, the tree who once stood proudly along the fence line. Each fall for decades she’d graced our backyard with a striking combination of colors. Every spring and summer her green waxy leaves provided beauty and shade. But on that mid-spring afternoon, she showed no signs of life. No leaf buds emerged from her long, bare limbs. This mighty tree spread her branches at ninety-degree angles from the eighteen-inch-thick trunk. She stood in sharp contrast to the spring-green leaves and grassy lawn around her.…
Tag: jeannie waters
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…
Who Invited You?
Now that my blood pressure is normal again, I’ll share my story. While I was minding my own business, participating in an online writing critique group, a predator snuck onto my deck. At the end of the meeting, my friend, Jean, mentioned she planned to create a blog post and a video about the serpent in Genesis three. As soon as we finished, and without my contacts, I headed toward the deck. The storm door hadn’t been closing properly, so when I saw something stretched across the horizontal metal piece in the middle of the door, I thought my husband…
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…
What God Is Doing in Your Crazy, Frustrating Life
When you pass someone on the sidewalk wearing a large “How Can I Pray for You?” button, you pay attention. I met Lori Hatcher at a conference just after a crazy, frustrating afternoon. She smiled and prayed with me. Have you ever wanted someone to be your friend as soon as you met her? My friend, Lori Hatcher, laughs easily and loves big. Her love for God and people shine in her writing. Because of my friendship with Lori, I have a gift for you today—a sample devotion from her new book, Refresh Your Faith, Uncommon Devotions from Every…