After the worship service in the small rural church, the two dozen worshipers moved into an adjoining room for coffee and snacks. Although I was a visitor, I knew one man...

One morning on vacation, my daughter and I took a walk along the beach. We saw a small crab sidling quickly toward the water. But the tide was coming in, and...

At our home in Oregon, we keep an umbrella by our door because we get such heavy rain from October to April that we can go for days without seeing the...

My wife and I sit in our sunroom every morning and watch the birds feed at our strategically placed birdfeeders. One day I noticed a blackbird that had the brightest red...

A few years ago, as my mother started to suffer from dementia, I lived with her and served as her caregiver. Even though she was forgetting many things, she retained old...

My friend Sheila was asked to help at a church function. So one wet and windy evening she made a considerable effort to be at the church. When she arrived she...

When visiting a church in O’Fallon, Missouri, I was surprised to see miniature flags representing nations from all over the world displayed around the worship space. The colorful flags from countries...

Where I live, the water department sometimes randomly cuts off the water supply. One day, I decided to store extra water before it was cut off again. I turned on the...

"Stiff-necked." I smile at this description of the disobedient, stubborn Israelites because thanks to a pet calf, I know exactly what "stiff-necked" means. When I was a young girl growing up...

One day, I discovered a splinter in each of my thumbs. At first it did not bother me. After all — five minutes with a needle, a little disinfectant, and the...