Claiming and Bonding: The Story of Mama Bear, Grandma Bear, and Pastor Bear

Recently I read an article about earthquakes. It reminded me that here in the lower Midwest, specifically in the St. Louis area, we sit on what is called the “New Madrid Fault” – New Madrid being about 160 miles south of St. Louis. In fact, in 1990 word was out that an earthquake was coming!… Continue reading The Greening of Spring →

Dear Friends, I hope you all had a peace-filled, enjoyable holiday season. Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that I have been looking for Hope for the last few years. The hate, the racism, lack of civility, divisions have been painful. And the protracted and contentious process for… Continue reading Hope, Power, and Kindness in 2023 →

Recently Jerry and I were in the Twin Cities for our granddaughter’s birthday. One of the “family rules” is you can’t open another present until you write the Thank You for the present you just opened. Our granddaughter is upfront about saying she doesn’t like to write thank you notes, however, she does like to… Continue reading Giving Thanks, 2022 →

Some years ago, author Anne Lamott wrote a book titled, Help, Thanks, Wow. Anne is a contemporary author. Help, Thanks, Wow is probably her eighth or ninth book. Anne could probably be described as a quirky writer who after facing and dealing with her alcoholism, drug addiction, and poor choice of romantic partners, gradually surfaces from those years… Continue reading Wow, Thanks, Help →

A Smorgasbord of Life’s Little Moments as Savored, Summer 2022 Being of a certain age, I still think of summer ending Labor Day weekend. Below are some of the moments that spoke to me throughout the summer. A Day Filled with SunshineOne morning on my walk in the nearby park, I stepped aside as a… Continue reading End of Summer Meanderings →

As most of you know, I have been keeping an eye out for HOPE under every nook and cranny for over two years now. Just scoped out a Field of Hope. Our #1 son began doing hurdles when he was in high school, and at age 44 is still jumping and leaping. Of course, at… Continue reading Finding Hope at the Track & Field Meet →

July 4, 2022 Grand Teton range in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming When I was in third grade, our teacher’s name was Miss Mary. I am not sure if Miss Mary had any professional credentials for teaching. But she lived across the street from our school with her parents. Her Dad was the school janitor,… Continue reading America the Beautiful →

By Marilyn Gates Our guest blogger for Mother’s Day, 2022 is Marilyn Gates. Marilyn lives with her family in the Twin Cities. I met Marilyn some years ago via our sons, Dave Gates and Francis Shen who were college buddies. When Francis and Sophie moved to the Twin Cities, Dave and family introduced them to… Continue reading A Journey to Motherhood →

The Greening has arrived! Last month I suggested that we look for the green to erupt. I must be honest and share that “my tree” took its time getting its green on. Almost like a two-year-old or a teen: I’ll do it when I am ready, quit hovering. So, the green has spung and there… Continue reading Shades of  Green →

For those you who have some background in Christianity, you may be aware that we are currently in the liturgical season of Lent. The word, Lent, means a “lengthening.” The days are lengthening naturally, and helped along partially by Daylight Savings Time (DST) which began somewhere around 1908-1914, earlier in Canada and then more publicly… Continue reading Watching My Tree for the Green to Appear →