This past week I attended a meeting about our upcoming school board election. My husband and I were saddened to learn about the declining level of math and English competency. That wasn’t the only concern mentioned. Violent behavior has increased. Teachers are stressed. The school board recently voted to go forward…
Our family’s experience with vaccines goes back a number of years. As we struggled with health problems, I prayed for God’s guidance in supporting my children’s health. Here is my story. Like every mother I have pursued health for my children. They all received childhood vaccines, but were prone to…
Recently our granddaughter had a part in a children’s theater production. It was great fun to see her perform in The Music Man! Our grandson had a school concert. The second-grade students sang songs and played simple instruments. The music teacher explained how the children were learning skills that would…
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…
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…
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…
My son wasn’t healed—not physically. Steven was treated for leukemia, first with chemotherapy and then with a bone marrow transplant. He relapsed, and we were informed that he was terminally ill. In the last weeks of his life, my faith was threatened. Did I still believe? Did I trust God’s…
In the weeks preparing to visit our new grandson I spent evenings knitting—first a blanket and then a lovey. Knitting is a calming activity. It requires me to stay focused on counting stitches while following a pattern. In the heavy season of worldwide troubles, my mind rests while I knit. …
This post was originally posted in 2017. As women in the United States we can give thanks for the progress that has been made in women’s rights and opportunities. My maternal grandmother and paternal great-grandmothers immigrated to Michigan from Finland. With great effort they raised families while managing subsistence farms.…
It is good to pause and give thanks for God’s gifts. I am very blessed to have ten grandchildren. It is a joy to spend time with them, to attend games and concerts. I am also called to help them on a life of faith. Only take care, and keep your…