Our granddaughter peeked from behind ‘the wall’ as she awaited her part of the drama that was being reenacted in our living room. The walls of Jericho were about to come down. In the days leading up to this past Christmas, her mother had been telling the exceptional stories of biblical history that would lead […]
To Ponder
Let’s Talk! – The Moment That Defines Awkwardness
Have you made yourselves comfy? Have you put away your smartphones and switched off your TV-set? For here is the first of a whole year of Friday invites to talk, to ponder, or to write. I have this fun book by my author-friend Tyrean Martinson (https://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Sized-Jumble-Writing-500-Prompts/dp/1735769509) – and prompt number one reads as you see […]
Across the Fence: Rollmops
First of all, Happy New Year to you, dear reader! How did you celebrate the turn of the year? Did you end up with a little hangover? If so, Germans have a proven method to deal with it: Rollmops (pronounce ‘rawl-mops). No, it’s not a rolling pug as the name suggests, but a rolled up […]
A Dr. Weirdo Story: A Dead Center Pitch
It was the third day in a row that Vashon Island played hide and seek in the early morning fog. It came and it went leaving me nothing but puffs of gray to see. I was getting restless. I could have done yard work . . . could have, but chose not to. My lovely […]
Letter: A Hopeless Romantic in Advancing Years
As the hourly chiming of the grandfather clock marked time, the man – his age reflected in greying temples and permanent laugh lines etched and pronounced – settled into their well-worn couch, the old leather crinkled here and there even as his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. And he was smiling now […]
A Dr. Weirdo Story: A Smile and a Nod
Normally, if Rose is out shopping, I just wait in the car for her. When she shows me what she bought I’ll nod my head, smile, and make a nice comment, while asking some simple question about what the purchase was for . . . a birthday or sometimes just a reminder that her friendship […]
Letter: So Hard to Let Go
It’s New Year’s Eve. I was passing through our living room and stopped for a moment, as I often do, and gazed at the display of our long life of love together. There on the wall is the beautiful portrait of my beautiful wife on the occasion of our 50th Anniversary, the photo taken by our […]
Letter: Navigating Our Way Home
“He who tells the number of the stars, calling them all by their names, heals the broken in heart, comforts their pain and sorrow.” – Psalm 147:3,4 “When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home.” […]
Letter: A Bar of Soap for Christmas
No, the soap wasn’t for that. So, let’s just move along here and make a clean break with what you were thinking. I opened a lovely little package tied with a bow, a gift to me from one of my wife’s sisters. It was a literal bar of soap. Tears formed instantly. My sister-in-law knew, […]