I never imagined it could be so much fun.
The delivery came to our garage.
The old one was put out near the curb on bulk pick-up day.
The new one was humming quietly in our kitchen.

The refrigerator box proved to be a welcome addition to my children’s play.
Much taller than the oldest child, it was the perfect house.
It was the perfect castle.
It was easily decorated but that is where the decisions needed to be made.

Read More...

We were going to the farmer’s market to find all sorts of fresh, organic food.
We were walking parallel to each other on opposite sides of the car.
Two little boys were accompanying her.
The oldest, obviously the line leader, had already reached the curb.

The youngest was struggling
He kept tripping on his laces.
His mom told him to turn around so she could tie them a bit tighter.
By now, the car between us was gone and I looked down.

Read More...

Everywhere you look they are on sale.
By the price reductions alone, you know that the season is almost over.
Soon, we will be saying goodbye to summer and hello to fall.
In the meantime, clearance sales are everywhere you look.

Barbecue things, picnic items, patio furniture, and lawn chairs all reduced for a quick sale.
The item that people paid full price for, just a few months ago, is now almost half price.
There it was, the last in a line.
Only one of two that were left looked as I remembered.

Read More...

Back when I was in college, I worked for a bank.
I was a bank teller.
I also settled the ATM machines after hours with a small group of people.
It was the perfect job to have while I was in school.

I continued to work for a short time after we were first married.
I thought it would be very easy to find a job in the area where we would be moving.
The bank I worked for had a “sister” bank that had branches near our apartment.
The year we got married, the economy was not very strong and they were not hiring.

Read More...

His mother was up in front leading us in worship.
A summer Sunday morning in church.
The words of the songs were up on the screen for all of us to sing our praises to the Lord.

I have watched this young woman stand before me on other Sundays.
I saw something different this Sunday morning.
I saw discipleship lived out before me.

Read More...

I often play a silly game.
I play it in the snow.
I play it in the rain.
I play it in the sand.

I like to leave footprints.
It’s not that I’m intentional about leaving the footprints.
They just happen naturally.
I am intentional about walking in them once I’ve left them.

Read More...

We read a lot of books in our family.
I used to read to my children all the time.
They had their favorite books.
I had mine.

Their favorite books usually prevailed.
It wasn’t their fault that I had read the book a thousand times before.
With each child, the story was new, refreshing, and in many cases applicable.
That was the case with one particular book.

Read More...

Like most men, my husband loves gadgets.
Like most engineers, my husband likes to tweak the gadgets he already owns.
He enjoys finding new ways to do things so the load is a bit lighter.

Often, in our married life, I have asked him to refrain from the bells and whistles.
Refrain from buying the microwave that can do all sorts of things.
Refrain from installing the thermostat that is programmable if you have a PhD degree.

Read More...

It was almost the end of our Bible study.
A woman shared a memory as it related to a passage we were studying.
Old feelings and emotions came to the surface.
She seemed embarrassed that she placed her heart on the table.

Nothing happens apart from God’s will.
There are no accidents.
There are no coincidences.
One woman’s heart helped other women’s hearts.

Read More...

I never imagined being a tour guide.
There were the unofficial assignments of giving a tour at school.
There were the unofficial hostess tours as I showed someone my home.
My children have been tour guides on their college campuses.

Being a tour guide is an important job.
You show someone where to go so that they will feel comfortable in the new surroundings.
Of course, you have to know your way around first.
That is the challenge.

Read More...