The tulips have faded and the lilacs have come and gone. Now the irises are blooming. The peonies delight me with their layers of petals. Spring has come again. The rhythm of seasons and immense variety of plants and flowers point to our Creator and his promises. While the earth…
Latest Posts
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Crisis & Prayer
Today I am joining a community that is writing on the prompt: PAUSE Life has been on pause. No, that is not quite right. The nonessentials of life have been on pause. A week ago my grandson developed a critical illness and has been in a pediatric ICU. My daughter…
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Supporting Mothers: The Hike for Life
Over the years I have often participated in the Hike for Life on Mother’s Day weekend. It has been a family event, children included. In the 1990s we hiked along the shore of Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago. Yesterday my daughter reminded me of her first hike. It was the…
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Different Environments: New Perspectives
I am joining the writing community, Five Minute Friday, today. We write for five minutes (or sometimes a little more). The prompt today is: ADAPT It was a decision I came to after much thought, choosing to work with physicians and midwives that attended home birth. I had worked…
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Call the Midwife: the Spiritual Aspect of Childbirth
It is the 7thseason of Call the Midwife, and I make time to watch it. This weeks episode had me in tears. Death is hard, but I am glad that the current series has reflections on faith. When it first aired I wondered how close it was to the book…
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A New Perspective and Mnemonic for Agape
Last night I tuned into an online nursing journal club. The article under discussion was A Nursing Practice Model Based on Christ: the Agape Model written by Nancy Eckerd. The model is based on the Holy Spirit working through the nurse in her daily encounters with patients. My thoughts were stuck on…
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Memories of Another Festival and A Book About Sex
My sister-in-law invited me to the Festival of Faith and Writing many years ago, and it has become a regular event where we meet for a few days. I have kept the programs from every Festival that I attended. In 2004 Lauren Winner was a presenter—just 26 years old by…
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Books at the Festival of Faith and Writing
In the year 2000 I began attending the Festival of Faith and Writing, a biannual event at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Over the years I have met authors and been introduced to many good books. Lauren Winner was a speaker one year, telling about her path to faith.…
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Rosemary and Tansy in the Garden
Spring seems to be on hold as cold temperatures persist in Illinois. But I am beginning to think about my herb garden. I recently read that Tansy is a deterrent for Japanese beetles. I have seeds to plant, hoping that it will help get rid of the throng of beetles…
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Book Review: A Place to Land
Kate Motaung’s memoir is a story of God’s grace throughout the events of her life. She has a relationship with God that grows through her college years and motivates her to pursue missions. But she couldn’t know the great challenges she would face in the ensuing years. As she tells…