There is a woman in our town named Beth, Who lives in the old preserved barn. People used to travel far to hear her, For she could spin the world's greatest yarns. She was such an ordinary human being, Telling stories while sitting on a log, But with her new technological tools, Beth now spins... Continue Reading →
For six days, I watched the tender care that my 93-year-old mother-in-law receives from her caregivers, three women and one man. They help her get in and out of bed, go to the bathroom, keep her clean and her hair combed, and cook and feed her. Twenty-four hours a day, one of them is with... Continue Reading →
We are home, thankfully, a place where I do not feel the need to be reticent in what I think or say. I enjoyed being in California and visiting relatives and seeing lovely friends. I spent three days with a migraine, but Douglas' family tried to include me in as many activities as possible. The... Continue Reading →
If a song has a beat that I can move to, I can listen to it over and over again. I am a true music lover, for I like all kinds of music. As a little girl, I only heard R&B songs on black radio stations. I heard gospel music at church, and still today,... Continue Reading →
I have loved novels and movies about spying for many years. Authors like Robert Ludlum, Tom CLancy, and John le Carre entertained me with thousands of hours of non-stop espionage. While some females in my generation wanted to be "Bond girls" and be romanced by James Bond, Agent 007, I dreamed of being Agent 007. What... Continue Reading →
We are in California to visit with Douglas's 93-year-old mother and for him to attend his 50th high school reunion. As the unofficial secretary in this duo, I made the travel arrangements. I always, where possible, ask for an aisle seat, even when I traveled alone. My frequent-flyer program automatically assigns me the aisle seat... Continue Reading →
In 1997, I visited Europe for the first time, as part of a guided tour that covered eight countries in thirteen days. One place we visited was the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. I had never seen a concentration camp before. It was so painful to see and learn of the atrocities perpetrated there, to... Continue Reading →
Recently, I was reminded of a remark that my best friend's father made one day when we were swooning over some guy. Mr. Bubba said,"There's a difference between a real man and a guy in a pair of pants!" Of course, being two teenage girls, we laughed at him and never missed a beat in... Continue Reading →
I really am more of a dog person, but when we lived in faculty housing in California, only cats were allowed. I was enduring chemotherapy for colon cancer, and a friend advised Douglas and me that having a pet would help reduce my stress levels, so we decided to follow their advice and get a... Continue Reading →
Margaret and Marian disagreed about what to serve at the annual party to benefit their diocese's homeless ministry. The problem was whether to serve alcohol at the gathering. Margaret worried that people would not attend a party with no alcoholic beverages, resulting in a very small turnout in the village. But Marian felt that a... Continue Reading →
Help from Heaven 