Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him (Psalm 127:3-5). Traditions Your Grandmother Used To Bake One of the most enduring traditions in my family is the baking of Christmas cookies. Every branch of the family tree on both sides had their favorites. They would appear every year without fail. Today I am going to begin baking. I’m a little late, but I wouldn’t dream of letting my children and grandchildren down … or my husband... Read more
Christmas Eve 1969: Most of the day had gone as expected. Grandma had homemade sauce bubbling on the stove before noon. Gnocchi were mixed, rolled, cut, and “tucked in,” as Grandma called it–one of the tasks I got to help with in the kitchen. The pot was already filled with the water in which they would cook. Fresh bread wrapped in a towel rested on the countertop near the warm stove. In the fridge, iceberg lettuce was torn (not... Read more
Disclaimer This is hard to write. I suppose it is a confession, of sort. I ask pardon in advance from anyone I may offend—no offense is intended. Please grant me grace. This is a difficult Christmas memory: A Difficult Christmas Memory One evening, more than a decade ago as Christmas was approaching, I was racing into Walmart to grab a few last-minute items. As I neared the entrance, I noticed a man in a wheelchair almost blocking my... Read more
An Original Script For a Quick and Easy But Effective Performance It’s late in the season, and if you need a Christmas skit, you have probably already found one. However, I would like to share the one we did this year–“One Holy Night,” an original script for a quick and easy but effective performance. It is perfect for performance by a small group with a limited budget, and it requires limited staging. If you need something to fit into a... Read more
The Value of Silence I have heard it said, “If you want to get someone’s attention–whisper.” I have also heard St. Francis of Assisi quoted thus: “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” Ecclesiastes 3:7B says that there is a “time to keep silence and a time to speak,” and in Psalm 46:10 “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’” There obviously is value in the silent. When coupled with the holy,... Read more
Skillet, The Band Many groups are claiming to be part of the Christian music scene. Some are traditional while others are quite outside the box. The “outside-the-boxers” often come under the heavy fist of traditional pastors and parents who hear the sound, but not the words. I suggest not judging the cover without reading the book. Here are 9 lyrics (although there are many more) from the band Skillet that epitomize their Christian faith. First, may I offer an introduction:... Read more
Naming Fred I am an amateur, but very enthusiastic, and pretty successful gardener. It is an absolute thrill when spring comes around and little green sprouts of poppies, gladiolas, and multi-colored lilies begin to pierce the surface of the soil. Sometimes, the sprouts are more red, like the peonies. Sometimes they’re pale yellow. Whatever the color, they are the harbingers of hope for a new, fresh season of growth and beauty. It’s not a time when one might think... Read more
There is a part of Thanksgiving dinner with which I have developed a love/hate relationship. That part? Leftovers. On one hand, I want to cook everything at my house because I want to be able to take advantage of the leftovers. On the other hand, after 3 days of open-faced turkey sandwiches, the bird kinda loses its charm. Even Jesus indicates that we should use our leftovers: “And when they had eaten their fill, he told... Read more
A Few Thanksgiving Dinner Traditions It’s Thanksgiving week, the time when all thoughts turn to the dinner table. There are probably more culinary traditions that manifest around Thanksgiving than there are for any other family occasion. Most folks have their way of doing it up right, and that is as it should be. Family and Thanksgiving dinner traditions are a grand combination! The kitchen is my therapy place. I love to cook, bake, prepare. I’m descended from Italians,... Read more
Carry My Tears I am a fiction kinda gal. I love reading it; I love writing it. Several years ago, the Lord sent me a dream. It was one of those dreams that you know is more than “an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato.” I asked several people about it, and everyone thought it was a cool dream, but nobody could give me any direction about what... Read more
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