When I attended the Law and Life Summit at a conference center this summer, I discovered that the Catholic Writer’s Guild was also meeting. The Guild sessions were open to Law and Life attendees, so I joined a couple offerings. Stephanee Landsem was presenting at one of the sessions. I…
Occasionally weeds will grow in the crack in the patio cement. I was surprised one day to see the stem and leaves that I recognized as a zinnia growing in the crack. Would it flourish? A couple weeks later my husband came in from mowing the lawn and said, “There’s…
This fall our women’s Bible study will be reading the book of Revelation. The study book we are using is titled Behold, Jesus Is Coming. Revelation is an intense prophetic book. This prophetic book can be intimidating, but the time is right to dig in. The Bible is the story of…
The forests and fields in northern Michigan demonstrate the abundant creativity in nature, designed by God. There are trees—pine and deciduous—ferns, wildflowers and berries. My sister and I spent a week in the Upper Peninsula. We hiked. We picked apples and berries. Thimbleberries are abundant in the Keweenaw (the peak…
The campers were hopping spinning and clapping. The bright colors of their tie-dyed shirts danced with their movements. They were performing the “church clap” for parents and grandparents at the closing ceremony of a week at camp. The energy of the preteens and teenagers was a joy to watch. My…
The Law and Life Summit met this week in a nearby convention center. I was one of a few non-Catholics in attendance. I have learned from Catholics and respect the deep commitment they have to life. The conference opened with Rev. Frank Pavone (Priests for Life) participating in a dialogue.…
This past week we read and discussed Psalm 139 in our women’s Bible Study. We marveled at God’s knowledge of us, our thoughts and actions. Whatever our circumstance, God is there! God knows our beginning. Our life is not by chance. For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me…
What does it take to go against the current trends in our culture? Curiosity? Critical thinking skills? Perseverance? Sometimes circumstances give an extra push. For most of my nursing career I have worked in the hospital. I worked in hospital labor/delivery units, caring for women during childbirth. I took time…
As I canned cherries and gooseberries this summer, I thought of my mother. She had stimulated my interest in canning. We had made and canned thimbleberry jam together. It was a family project to pick and clean the wild berries. Gooseberries have stems and “pig tales” (the remainder of the…
Trust and Obey. The words to this hymn come to me easily. Throughout my childhood we sang it at church. There is a blessing in memorizing Bible verses and singing hymns as a child. The words reside in memory. The first verse about trust that I think of is Proverbs…