The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second-best time is now. Dieter Uchtdorf Laura Ingalls Wilder believed the ideal home was built by a man and a woman together. It was constructed one day at a time through hard work and struggle. Hardships seemed to follow her throughout her life, yet she prevailed every time. I put down my book and pondered how a couple arrives at that kind of love even in the face […]
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Like two sparrows in a hurricane Trying to find their way With a head full of dreams And faith that can move anything They’ve heard it’s all uphill But all they know is how they feel The world says they’ll never make it Love says they will Tanya Tucker Saturday came with warm rays of glistening sunshine. It was as if there was a note attached to the day that read, “I made this day especially for the Howard’s.” It […]
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Leaving a public building, I reached into my coat pocket looking for gloves to put on Eva Jewel’s hands, and I pulled out several beads from a broken necklace. Next, I extracted one of her hairbows I had misplaced last fall. Then finally, some skittles, which I can only assume have been there since last year because this was my first seasonal wear. The lady behind me could not stop laughing. I turned around, not wanting to miss an opportunity […]
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My grandparents were city folks who enjoyed the country on the weekends. They loved to go camping, fishing, or other such activities. Now, they were leaving city comforts and moving to the country to start a new way of life for their family. Grandma told me that the first years of their new home were very tough. The well water was unsuitable for drinking, washing, or cooking, so they had to haul gallons of water each week from town, and […]
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“Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house and from the roof, he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold…So David sent and inquired about this woman. And someone said, ‘Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of the Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?’ Then David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him…” 2 Samuel 11:1-4. My mother is […]
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“What you do speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you are saying.” Ralph Waldo Emerson If my father said it, he meant it; whether it was punishment or prize, I knew he would never lie to me if I needed answers or had questions. His word meant everything to him. He showed me the love of a Heavenly father by being an excellent earthly father. Big enough to admit when he was wrong yet strong enough to remain unmoved […]
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“For we can only inspect ourselves as we are reflected in the Word. Not as reflected in our concepts. For although the Word will automatically reveal our defilement, it will not automatically remove it.” Judson Cornwall My family believes wholeheartedly in the right to bear arms. Weapons were a part of our home growing up and even still today. I used to sit and watch my dad clean his guns and sharpen knives. He would always tell us, girls, that […]
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“Commitment is that which you keep doing long after the mood you said it in has passed.” Author Unknown The time had come, a year to date, and I was ready. Outside preparing for another run, Eva disappears into the house. Minutes later, she appears in her running shoes. She said, “Mommy, I am going to run this race with you!” It was thrilling that she wanted to run with me. Then it dawned on me, I would not be […]
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I like my world sunny-side up
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“You know Christmas lights are for kids, not you.” …it’s as if real is forgotten in the twinkling of an eye.
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