Tag: Peace

  • Telling Ourselves the Truth

    Telling Ourselves the Truth

    The brawny woman behind the ice cream counter slammed the scoop into a tub of butter brickle so hard it rattled the glass. Clearly discontent, she never looked up at my teenage brother and me–not even to hand us our double-dip cones. That’s when my older sibling, rarely hesitant, asked the most daring question: Maam,…

  • Seasons of Life

    Seasons of Life

    Spring was Grandmother’s favorite season. She loved watching the birds, out on the farm, and it was usually in March  when their singing and nesting started. She also treasured taking crisp morning walks along the creekbank, checking for buds on her beloved apricot trees. But Spring was also a feared time of year, because it…

  • Rogue Waves

    Rogue Waves

    For centuries, they were merely examples of maritime myth—like Giant Squids and mermaids. Freakishly large waves forming at random on the open ocean? Respected scientists, back in the day, said “Nah, it’s not possible.”   Yet modern science proved otherwise. We now know that individual waves over 60 feet tall, and some as high as…

  • Life Lessons, from a Box of Chocolates

    Life Lessons, from a Box of Chocolates

    Every month, after my wife and I sang at Twin Oaks Assisted Living, our friend Kathleen insisted that we follow her back to her room. Once inside, there was always something special she wanted to show us. First there was her bridal veil, from when she married her husband, Denzel, in 1947, also some dried…

  • Paws and Reflect (6): Digging for Answers

    Paws and Reflect (6): Digging for Answers

    The adventures of a dog who followed Jesus.

  • “Butt-in-ski:” encounters with an automated mopper

    “Butt-in-ski:” encounters with an automated mopper

    Anybody else like to shop at big box stores with concrete floors? Lately, there has been a ripple, however. An automated floor mopping machine has become the bane of my shopping club existence. It inevitably comes down my aisle, as I peacefully shop–beeping and chirping and spinning its flashing light. At least the contraption stops…