Category Archives: Musings

When asked recently if there was someone in my life I needed to forgive, the long buried memory of a craft store owner (who unbeknownst to me was most likely a pedophile, or trafficker of child pornography) came to mind. Looking for a job as a clerk in his store, I was nearly reeled intoContinue reading “Keys To Unpacking One’s Soul”

It was a glorious snowy day. Snow had fallen through the night before, surprising the children of the farm with a glistening white wonderland as they peered out frosty windows that bright morn. Their day started early, for on the farm they had chores to do before school. The family had always risen with orContinue reading “Duck Duck! Quack Quack!”

How will it feel to suddenly be lifted up? Will there be a rush of changing barometric pressure, a need for oxygen? I suspect that when the LORD returns all those details will be already addressed, no baggage preparation or TSA checks for flight necessary. Only the readiness of one’s spirit to fly away toContinue reading “Rapture Dreams”

Driving up Idaho’s Highway 55, I am always heartened by the stalwart greeting of old barns. Some dilapidated, some fallen down, some still standing proud, they are weather-worn grey or faded red, or green, some more newly painted. Metal roofs seem the standard covering in this part of snow country. For these higher mountain meadowsContinue reading “Old Barns”

The procedure was necessary and would only take a few minutes. Outpatient. In-office. Not a big deal. Yes, it will be uncomfortable, but not for long. “You must hold still. Sit on the table on your knees, your rear in the air, head down in your arms.” Humiliation has a name. Mortification. Though a medicalContinue reading “Healing The First Colonoscopy”

Contemplating how to explain to our grandchildren the reality of God, whether or not one believes in His existence, the picture that came to mind was a fish tank, bubbling away, as fish of various kinds swam freely through the water. Or a school of fish, swimming deeper in the ocean. Some were older, someContinue reading “In Him We Live”

She sat stunned, unsure how to receive the news. The thought of it, how he had been taught, was beyond her comprehension. His grandfather had lived that way, finding “great return on his investment” by diversifying his wealth and allegiances among many. Little did she know this included his affections. “How many?” she inquired. “IContinue reading “Home Within The Sanctuary”

Have you noticed how consistent are the laws of nature? Nature has been carefully and thoughtfully constructed, not a willy-nilly whirly gig that randomly spins. Even the changeable things, like the weather, volcanoes, earthquakes, are somewhat predictable in their presentation, though cloaked in uncertainty. Most things do remain conventional. Gravity persists in its properties. DayContinue reading “Black Holes”

Gray truly has been given a bum rap. Touted as the signature color of depression, or loss of sunshine on a cloudy day, it carries the accumulations of assigned characteristics that over the years have built up to a resounding “yuk!” It has been cast as something to avoid; the mess that’s made with tooContinue reading “Love of Gray”

Some days it feels like “Incoming! Take cover!” is the clarion call in our lives. We are battle worn and weary, yet have no choice but to go on, one step at a time. “When will it end?” we wonder. “When will peace and tranquility come again? When will the infighting and division stop? HowContinue reading “When Shimei Is Throwing Clods”

The boys had settled their energy down, after a silly made-up song sung directly to their toes, then to knees, legs, body, nose . . . the final refrain, “and the nose knows it’s time to settle down!” Who can guess where these spontaneous silly songs come from to fill the moment in a funContinue reading “Couch Potato Time”

The phone thrummed on the dresser awakening me to another of my friend’s “oops!” video chat dials. Becoming rather infamous in this communication phenomenon, she wears the mantle with good humor. And I know I can roll over and go back to sleep if need be. Scrunching my pillow while burrowing back under the coversContinue reading “A Gentle Heart Beat”

Some days I feel like my pocket is filled with woe. Perhaps an imbalance in my brain contributes to a propensity towards depression, the cup half empty, rather than half full. Although I do not set out to choose woefulness, it certainly is a deep and fertile soil to plow, to unearth and bring toContinue reading “The Light In My Pocket”

I recently received word that a dear childhood friend “passed away in her sleep last night.” Have you ever wondered how the dying experience will be? What one’s living spirit actually encounters as the body expires, letting go of this part of life? Will it be a wrestling match of sorts, a release finally ofContinue reading “This Thing Called Dying”

Looking back through my kaleidoscope of memories I see myself gazing out the west window of our former home, where we lived for about thirty-five years, raising children, a garden, dogs, cats, a horse, quail, raccoons, owls, deer, the neighbor’s chickens, frogs, a huge toad, and our very own Canadian goose. On a three-quarter acreContinue reading “Finding Green Pastures”

Quietly it slipped inside the minds of those who would bend to its tantalizing thoughts. Words of eloquence that sounded like truth, but as they were formed by man, for his purposes, they were not. Yet the masses did not know the difference, for the words sounded sweet. And as long as the words tickledContinue reading “Indoctrination”

“Somewhere in all that mess must be story,” I thought, carefully pulling the brush through our grandson’s wet hair. It was classic, like perfectly teased under-layers of the bouffants of old: hidden, tangled, and a bear to straighten again. How had his hair arranged itself so magnificently? No surprise – no brushing results in theContinue reading “The Rat’s Nest”

Do you hear me now? Are you listening? Listening to me? Or listening to the thoughts that tumble through your mind as words I say birth rising pictures for you to see, think on, to form response to, and answer while my story has continued on? Oh! I want to be heard! Not just theContinue reading “Do You Hear Me Now?”

A lump rose up upon my wristOvernight it’s stealth unseenSurprising me on yester morn Look! A bump where none had been A “ganglion cyst” I labeled it For one had been there years agoYet this more grand than the one before This one spanning wrist to hand Hey, look at me! it seemed to sayAttentionContinue reading “Ode To Lumps, Bumps, and Carbuncles”

While dressing this morning my mind revisited that scene of many years ago when I first wondered why my eyebrows seemed near lacking. The answer I remember most was, “Perhaps God forgot them when He made you.” What? At the time it seemed a reasonable answer to my young mind, but as I have maturedContinue reading “The Truth About Brows”

A tiny seed when planted In ground or womb or mind Sends tendrils forth dividing New shapes unique unfolding Creation’s grand design As new things dawn their growing From good or evil start They reveal their beginnings Those things of which they’re partInfluences bearing inWhen birthed they are presented Bless or curse a fallen worldContinue reading “Creating”

I lay crumpled, my mind swirling with chaos, migraine pressure pounding, the overwhelming stress inside of me nearly erupting, my own private Vesuvius ready to destroy. Empty . . . emptiness seemed a siren’s call of relief. Would I last long enough til then, til it was gone and I could walk away from allContinue reading “Asking God In”

Crooked hands, gnarled fingersLook much like burled trees The stress of storms or insects Other forms of injury Causing calluses to grow there Protecting tree beneathThe lumpy areas hardened Through sufferings etched deep And yet these lumps when opened Reveal beauty therein hidThe hardened shell protective Of swirled patterns laying in Witness of adjustmentsGrowing o’reContinue reading “Crooked Hands”

Life turned vibrant on that dayWhen Jesus lifted me He took my sins, threw them awayFilled up my all, set free He lifted me from sunken woesThat filled my life with shame He gave new sight to blinded eyesNew songs for me to sing The air itself became a glow The breath of life soContinue reading “Vibrant Life”

For days a storm cloud had been creeping into my mind. From where and why I was unsure, but with the effects of barometric pressure-like changes in my behavior, I finally had to pay attention. What was going on with me anyway? Why the glum? Something was disrupting my peace. It was not pretty, thisContinue reading “Who Is On The Throne?”