When I was in high school there was a group of girls who were bullies. They had kids in a state of fear, and everyone stayed out of their way. When they were around the temperature gage was on high alert. One day as I was walking to class, a classmate whispered to me that I was the target to fight one of the bullies after school! My heart skipped a beat, my palms got sweaty, my mouth got dry, and ...  Read More

Have you ever done something to someone and later regretted it? You weren’t sure on how to approach them to tell them you were sorry or even to ask for forgiveness. Often you would go over and over in your mind, “How foolish I must sound.” “What do they think of me?” “Should I even ask for forgiveness at all?” And during that time, you feel heavy with guilt. Guilt is a robber of peace because it w...  Read More

As I visited my mom in the hospital, so many thoughts went through my mind. I replayed how she was both mom and dad to me during my short years on this journey called life. She said to me, “I feel so tired!” I told her, “Mom, you have been a blessing to so many people; you’ve been a great blessing to your family, a great blessing to your church family, and a great blessing to all those who have so...  Read More

Whenever I visited with my mom in another state, she would look at me and say, “You always have a smile.” I wish that over the many years everything has been smile-worthy, but not so. I have long since realized that a smile costs us nothing. It does not take dollars or cents to uplift someone else’s day despite how you may be feeling personally. Everyone, I am sure, have had good days, challenging...  Read More

Traveling gives you an opportunity to see various beautiful buildings designed with great creativity. As I look around at all the construction going up in communities and business sections of many cities, I notice that the buildings have different beautiful architectural lines. Behind every architecturally design there has been someone with a vision, an ability to think about or plan the future. O...  Read More

The majority of our neighbors have treated us kindly over our many years of being homeowners. Neighbors have always been there to lend a helping hand. One example that stands out in my mind was when we lived in Minneapolis in the fall when leaves were everywhere. I forgot that the city was coming by early one morning to sweep the leaves from our corner lot. I was snug in my bed ready to doze off w...  Read More