Speak Up: We Can’t Read Minds

On one of the legs of the flight from Portugal, I sat next to a young woman, possibly in her twenties, who coughed a lot but did not cover her mouth. Douglas and I gave her the evil eye, trying to embarrass her into using good manners, but to no avail. I should have spoken... Continue Reading →

Don’t Take Your Sanity for Granted

Being sick and confined to bed the last two weeks gave me time for serious reflection. When I was a little girl of age nine, I remember the older people in church thanking God for waking up in their "right mind." I did not fully understand then what they meant by having a right mind.... Continue Reading →

The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Having a Doppelganger

I have often wished for two of me, especially when I have found myself with more to do than time to do it. I would think that it would be great to be able to be in two, or even three, places at one time, so that I could say yes to even more requests... Continue Reading →

Don’t Ever Just Disappear

I thought it was a love story with a happy ending. The joy and laughter we shared was so rich every day that I just knew that nothing could stop us from spending our lives together. He declared his love for me each day, something he knew that I needed to defeat my insecurities. Even... Continue Reading →

Premature Assessments Can Do Lifelong Harm

As a professor, I met so many students who had a poor opinion of their abilities to be more than just be average in college because someone had told them early in their lives that they were not smart, capable, or good enough to be successful. These are what I call premature assessments, decisions made... Continue Reading →

Being a Rebel is Great Fun!

I did not follow the script that was meant for women my age, mainly because I have never thought that we all must look and act the same. The expectations of others for the roles we are supposed to play limit us, even as failing to meet the expectations of others tend to liberate us... Continue Reading →

The Time to Go Home is Rapidly Approaching

In a church service here in Portugal, we heard a wonderful sermon on heaven being the real home for Christians, not earth. The pastor preached on how to ensure your eternal home in heaven. He cautioned us that the time to go "Home" is fast approaching, as the signs of the times indicate from Biblical... Continue Reading →

In the Beauty of God’s Holiness: Travel Photos from Portugal

On Friday, we went to Faro, which is the main city in the part of the Algarve of Portugal where we are. Because it has an airport, train station, a huge bus terminal, and a marina, the city is big, compared to the little city we are staying in. The diversity of people was greater,... Continue Reading →

Costing Less Bestows Equality of Access Across Social Status

I am experiencing what many people fear: needing a doctor in a foreign land where you cannot speak the language. But, praise God, the body is the same wherever you go, so you only have to point to what hurts. Or, as in my case, the doctor could see that I would not move my... Continue Reading →

The Power of a Song to Unite Us

One of the elements of my life that I miss here in Portugal is the choir at my church. I do love the congregational singing at the church we are attending, but, for me, nothing beats the harmony of different voices singing together, united in their joy for the Lord, bringing the whole church to... Continue Reading →

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