I grew up in a city, with no water anywhere around me, except for the swimming pool at the park near my house. I never learned to swim, although I made an aborted effort to learn when I was age 52. As long as I was floating with my hands on the wall of the... Continue Reading →
I did not know what was happening. When I boarded the bus or the train to work, I would break out in a sweat and my heart would beat so hard that I just knew other people could hear it. I believed I was dying, and I was terrified of dying among strangers. Fellow passengers... Continue Reading →
Through the years, I have been blessed to have wise women placed in my life, just when I needed their sage advice the most. One in particular, Mrs. Carmichael, whom all her boarders called, "Mom," always told me what I needed to hear, rather than what I wanted to hear, although I did not always... Continue Reading →
My children will not invite me to a buffet restaurant these days, because I don't eat enough to justify their costs. As I watch them eat, I am amazed that I raised such gluttons. I mean, they can eat! The problem for me is not that I don't like to eat, because I do, but... Continue Reading →
As a child and, even today, as an adult, I have very few friends. I was a loner as a child, mainly because other children did not play with me. They had good reason not to do so. My mother did not teach my sister and me about hygiene, and because she worked two jobs... Continue Reading →
My friend texted me that all religion is based on (blind) Faith. I trust one thing, he trusts another, but ultimately it comes down to saying, “The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it, or some similar statement for other religions.” I wondered about how common this perception that one must pick a... Continue Reading →
I had to go sign up for jury duty today. We all lined up on the sidewalk as we waited our turn to go through the metal detector. I watched as a shabby, bearded, long-haired man stood on the street and preached to the pedestrians. He was loudly proclaiming that they were sinners and needed... Continue Reading →
The news was talking about a politician who voted to have a civil war statue torn down. He was accused of being a race traitor. What does that mean? To understand that, we must answer three questions. When and why were the statues put up? What race are they referring to? What concept was he... Continue Reading →
As I watch people file by and receive the Communion packet of bread and juice, I wonder how many of us simply take the Eucharist on the first Sunday because it is expected. It would be embarrassing, I think, for most people to not take it, even if they do not have a relationship with... Continue Reading →
One day walking home from school with my sister, I had an apple in my hand. Joann asked for a bite, and I said, "No." Suddenly, she snatched the apple out of my hand and threw it in the street, where it was promptly ran over by a car. She felt that if she could... Continue Reading →
Help from Heaven 