• Faith - Family

    No Fear of Tomorrow

    We are in challenging times . . . like people who came before us. I think of the civil war, the Spanish flu, World War II. The Bible records times when fear hung over the people of Israel. Currently I am studying the book of Ezra. After 70 years of…

  • Family - Michigan - Recipes

    A Meal to Spark Memories

    My mother’s birthday was last month. We celebrated her 98 years. She is cared for in a nursing home in Michigan. She has significant memory loss and is wheelchair bound. She recognizes family as familiar people and is happy to see us. Sometimes she reverts to the language of her…

  • Faith - Family - Grandparents

    Giving an Encouraging Word

    Talent: characteristic feature, aptitude or disposition of a person; the natural endowments of a person Words matter. They can encourage or deter creative pursuits. I still remember two elementary school teachers that I had. The orchestra teacher told me that I had no musical ability and discouraged me from attempting…

  • Abortion - Family - Women

    The March for Life and the President

    Over the years I have attended the March for Life in Palatine and in Chicago. I have paid attention to social media accounts of the March for Life in Washington D.C. Despite the thousands of young adults and families who have turned out year after year, the coverage by the…

  • Children - Family

    Family Fun in Missouri

    Between Christmas and the beginning of the new year our family had a mini vacation in St. Charles, Missouri. It was such a pleasure to have our children and their families altogether for a few days. The nine grandchildren enjoyed time with their cousins. We learned that Lewis and Clark…

  • Faith - Family - Parenting

    Learning and Teaching Patience

    Patience is a virtue, worth cultivating in ourselves and our children. Some years ago I read an article by Pamela Druckerman that extolled the way French parents teach their children to wait. In her article, Why French Parents Are Superior, Druckerman pointed out that children who have learned patience are…

  • Faith - Family

    It Was a Huge Project

    This past week my husband and I visited the Ark Encounter in Kentucky. We were amazed and enlightened as we walked through each deck, observing the design of the ark to meet the needs of Noah’s family and the animals. This ark is built to the specifications in the book…

  • Faith - Family

    The Blessing of Family

    The Bible often mentions the importance of family. The second chapter of Genesis refers to the beginning of a family. Therefore a man shall leaves father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:24 ESV Frequently throughout scripture the genealogy of a…

  • Children - Faith - Family

    Children Are A Gift from God

    Kate’s prompt for Five Minute Friday is: FIVE. Once inspired, we write for five minutes (more or less).  At first I considered writing about my five favorite herbs, or maybe five summer recipes. And then I made another connection. I have three grandchildren that are five years old. Children are…