Musings from the Midwest
Mary Louise
My mother, Mary Louise Henderson, was born April 7, 1914 in Hot Springs, South Dakota. She was the 2nd of four…
In One Moment
I remember a moment when I was 15 years old and walking past a convent where the Catholic nuns lived. I perceived from…
Waking to a New Beginning
I am a very sound sleeper, and almost nothing wakes me up when I am sleeping. But one night in 1988, I was awakened by…
Prodigals
Yesterday, as I was doing an afternoon walk and listening and praying to worship music, the song by Chris Tomlin came…
Small Miracles
In 1992, I moved to Jerusalem to work with a Messianic Rabbi and his family. I had been working for them for about 4…
Grace Through the Years
Last November was 34 years sober for me. I was thinking yesterday about what started me on the road to sobriety. My…
Ants and Insomnia
I looked at the time again as I sat on the couch, playing my game on my phone. It was 2:00 AM! I had to be up at 5:00…
Amazing Grace and Mercy
It was a normal Monday evening in December. the week before Christmas. I was getting ready for bed, when I had…
Serendipity or a Plan?
It was a Friday night in March of 1996. I was curious about this new thing called the internet and all it had to…
Baking and Other Lessons
Lately I have struggled with feeling down, maybe even depressed. All the things that have happened in the past year…
Looking Back to the Future
I was looking through some old pictures the other day and came across a birthday card I received in 1986 when I was…
Friends
We were driving home from a doctor’s appointment a while back and saw the license plate in front of us that said…
To Grow or Not?
The weeks have worn on and I am still in therapy for my broken shoulder. I thought it would be over by now and my arm…
Blessings in Disguise
On a Friday evening last April, I stood up from my sofa to walk into another room. As I did, I caught my foot on a piece of furniture, and was catapulted into the air, falling and landing hard on my left shoulder. I knew as soon as it happened that it was a bad injury. At first, I could not sit up and I could not move my arm. I had to hold it close to my body with my other hand. The pain was intense.
I’m Not the CEO of My Life Anymore!
I volunteer with a non-profit organization that assists men and women coming out of prison, who are trying to rebuild…
Unto the least of these…
A few months ago the pastor of the church we are attending passed out a card to everyone attending. The card said,…
Tammany a.k.a. Putter Cat
I remember the first time I saw Putter Cat. She was at the Humane Society all alone in a cage. I noticed she was a…
Getting to the Heart of the Matter
For about the past two months, I have been suffering with hives and an itchy rash on my body. I have had allergies to…
The Last Tomatoes of Summer
In late October we ate the last tomatoes of summer…those final pieces of fruit that ripened just before the weather…
Freedom in Bondage?
We have four cats, and a huge fenced back yard where they can go out and roam around. We don’t let them roam free in…
A Family of My Own
In 1994, when I lived in Jerusalem, a friend and coworker there gave me a portion of Scripture that he said was a…
A Woman’s Gift
Today the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, gave birth to a son. The world is watching in excitement. I never had…
Choking on the Covenant
When Ken and I got married, part of our wedding ceremony was communion. I recited the Hebrew blessing over the bread…
Unlovely
My husband, Ken, planted a large sunflower garden in our backyard. There are several different varieties, Russian…
One Thing Leads to Another
I have a coffee cup that says “Crazy Cat Lady” on one side and “One Cat Leads to Another” on…
It’s All in the Choices We Make…
I remember an experience I had sometime during 1990, I was sitting on the podium of our congregation in Maryland,…
Of Chicken Nuggets and Pigs in a Blanket
This week Ken and I have been helping with our church’s annual Vacation Bible School in the evenings after work….
Whatever Happened to Modesty?
As I was standing at the information booth at church on Resurrection Sunday, a young teenager (I believe she is 15)…
Best Friends Forever
There is an acronym young people use today in texting called BFF (Best Friends Forever). I wonder if they really…
A Valentine Gift
I work for a very large company in the Midwest. Every Valentine’s Day there are several tables at the Security…
Focus
Lately, perhaps the past few months even, God has been asking me this question, “Where is your focus?” I have pondered…
Cat Hair
Have you ever visited someone and left with your clothes covered in pet hair? I have and I was convinced I did not…
Bare Wood
My husband and I spent the better part of today working in our back yard. My husband was planting flowers, laying down…
Dandylynes
Dandylynes – that’s how my husband pronounces dandelions. This spring there were hundreds and hundreds of…