I got called for jury duty last week. Again. They never call you at a good time- when nothing is going on and you welcome the diversion. When I got called three years ago, I went grudgingly- I had a heavy course load and lots of workshops to prepare for. But then when I got into the big room with all the other citizens, they showed us a video called “The American Juror.” It included a clip from To Kill... Read more
I just spent a week at “House of Hope” in Puerto Lempira, Honduras. House of Hope (Casa Esperanza) is a clinic/school/orphanage that meets the needs of the children of the Mosquito Coast of eastern Honduras. It is sponsored by a ministry called Send Hope. Send Hope was founded about 20 years ago by Dr. Tom Brian, a dentist in Allen, Texas. He started out fixing teeth, and gradually the ministry has expanded to include a school, a milk program for... Read more
When my children were small they spent part of the day in day care while I served a church and went to graduate school. Whenever I could, I would pick them up early to have more time with them in the afternoon before supper. I would sometimes get stuck in traffic on the way to pick them up from school. I remember experiencing a feeling of rising urgency that almost became panic, as I sat trapped in traffic, yearning for... Read more
I had no business being in the Dillards in the first place. I have more than enough clothes in my closet at home. But if I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to be the fashion angel this woman needed in that moment. Read more
A family in Frisco, Texas, has been tending the grave of a stranger since 1908. It all began with a promise their great great grandmother made to a distraught young mother whose baby died on the trip West. Read more
Maybe it’s because this week’s lectionary text is the Walk to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-35. Or maybe it’s because the whole Easter season is a journey that begins with the empty tomb and the Risen Lord. But for some reason I’ve been thinking about journeys and ways we can remember where we’re headed and why. There is a story about Albert Einstein, the great physicist who taught at Princeton for many years. He was on a train and the... Read more
Why are some people good under pressure, clutch, and some people, equally talented, are chokers? Is it genetic? Or is it something else? Read more
I heard a story recently about a man who passed away in Vidor, Texas and who, after the memorial service at the funeral home, was to be buried in Franklin, Texas some 205 miles away. The committal service was to be conducted by a pastor serving a church in Franklin. The funeral director scrawled some directions on the back of a funeral bulletin and handed them to the hearse driver. He set off followed by the family in several cars. ... Read more
Remember Valentine’s Day in elementary school? Buying the box of valentine’s cards at the grocery store and filling out one for every class member, even the boy who made fun of you for your thick new glasses and later broke your toe (accidentally) playing dodge ball? Read more
Last New Year’s Eve Day I flew from Dallas to Houston and back again in one day so I could get gold status with American Airlines. Priority Access. Doesn’t that have a nice ring? It was odd making a trip that had no other purpose than to rack up points. It gives a whole new meaning to the American Airlines motto “We Know Why You Fly.” Now when I fly for a legitimate purpose, like flying from Dallas to Harrisburg,... Read more
Knack For Noticing
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