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

Dear Friends, it’s been a few months since I have written my blog. I had been working on a fall/autumn blog entry but the unexpected war in the Middle East between Hamas (Palestine) and Israel just zapped me. I lost savoring the season of autumn as we were propelled into a winter of war. The… Continue reading Trying to Hold on to My Deepest Beliefs in 2024 →

As we say good-bye to summer, I have been reflecting on the many road trips we have taken this summer. One of the things that we pack in the car is a box of CDs with various styles of music. We change the CDs up from time to time, but there are one or two… Continue reading Driving Home with Jesus →

My perspective of the USA is that Winning is everything. I am always intrigued during the Olympic events how only the Gold Medal really counts! So much for Silver or Bronze or being in the running but missing Bronze by a millisecond. Or being among the hundreds of athletes who are part of the Olympics… Continue reading What is Winning, Really? →

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 →