Being a transplant from the Deep South (Mississippi) to the Northeast (Pennsylvania), I am often asked two questions. The first one invariably addresses my still thick Southern accent and the second is almost always about the weather.
“So, how do you like the winters here?”
My answer regarding the cold and snow most often takes people by surprise. I don’t mind the cold and snow so much during what I consider “winter months”. Nothing compares to a white Christmas and…
I have a tried and true motto when it comes to food: “If I didn’t have to cook it or clean it up, it tastes good to me.”
Nothing brings as much joy as eating food for which I did not have to forage, pluck, start, or stoke a fire. Food just tastes better when someone else makes it. Not much can beat being ravenously hungry and then having food quickly appear that is tasty (a bonus!) and made by someone else. So it won’t surprise you…
Recently after a routine bank visit, I pulled away from the drive thru with a dog biscuit for my mutt and a Tootsie Pop for my daughter. She was thrilled (so was the dog) and her excitement was compounded by the fact that she had just seen a commercial on television advertising them. “Mom!”, she said, “I just saw this on TV! There’s a little boy and he asks an owl how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop!” When…
When I was in high school, I somehow managed to earn the highest average in social studies over four years. Imagine my surprise when one of my teachers told me that I was going to win an award at the Academy graduation! I hadn’t even been paying any attention to my social studies average, wasn’t aiming at winning any awards, wasn’t even all that fond of social studies and there I was about to be recognized in front of my peers, family, and friends. Or so I…
This Valentine’s Day I am enjoying a beautiful view of God’s amazing creation from my cabin in Breckenridge, Colorado and from an elevation of 9200 feet. It is safe to say that I am truly high and lifted up and I certainly will be lifted higher up when I start skiing a little later today. But because I have you in my heart, and today is a day of hearts – Valentine’s Day – I wanted to send you a few thoughts on what I…
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me” (African Proverb)
“Reckless words pierce like a sword …”
(Proverbs 12: 18)
When I was five years old and mastering a two wheeler, I had a serious encounter with a crack in the sidewalk and a wobbly front wheel, which sent me sailing over the front handle bars of my bike onto a rock in some neighbor’s lawn. The end result was a concussion and the family doctor telling me, “You are one lucky young lady. …
“What are you wearing?” This question is tossed around among teenage girls as often as teenage boys toss their clothes on the floor. Adults aren’t exempt from this dilemma either. At any given function, the dress code can be defined as casual, business casual, smart casual, or business informal, just to name a few. What we wear often, if not always, matters. After this winter, I’m sure I’m not the only one who is wondering if we will ever wear short sleeves and flip-flops again!…
Sometimes you hear people say some words that make you wonder if they really meant to say that. This week I had knee surgery which put me in the presence of numerous medical professionals who all carry some kind of “weapon” like needles and knives. And I heard words like this:
“Okay, just RELAX while I jab this 8 inch needle in you.” (Sure thing. . . I always relax best right before imagining a skewer impaling my arm.) Did you really mean to say,…
Today marks the end of the third week in January and some of you may have decided that 2011 would be the year to read through the Bible. Depending on the plan you use, you have probably made it well into Genesis and have for sure by now hit at least one of the many dreaded genealogy passages – the ones that usually trip people up even though they are determined to travel straight through to Revelation. In fact, the very first list of descendents is named…
SNOW is a FOUR letter word that doesn’t provoke our best thoughts, especially if your neighbor owns a snow blower that seems to work best during your best hours of rest-after midnight and before six in the morning. Some snow blowers keep morning hours and make “mourning” hours.
For most, SNOW DAYS, a double four letter word phrase, brings a GIFT.
SNOW DAYS = PLAY DAYS, as in, SHUN WORK: STAY HOME.
And if you’re a teacher, your eyes were glued to the weather cancellations scrolling across the TV screen,…