During elementary school summers, my mom and I often spent afternoons at the Overlee Pools. This swim club featured two large competitive-sized swimming pools, a kids’ pool, and a deep water diving area. My swim team practiced there in the early mornings or late afternoons. But during the rest of the day, people of all ages …
Our oldest son has always loved Legos. Having explored their endless potential over many years, he even kept some on his desk as a military officer to help him with problem solving! But my earliest and perhaps fondest memory of Legos occurred after giving birth to our third son. (Three sons in 3 1/2 years!) Living with …
Recall the story of the lame man lying by the pool of Bethesda. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He asked, “Do you wish to get well?” (John 5:6) In response the man whined, “I have no one to help me!” The guy obviously needed healing and …
This summer we had the joy of visiting our oldest son and his wife in Southern California. They live just blocks from the Pacific, so we spent hours strolling alongside the ocean, watching the surfers and enjoying the lovely weather. One paved stretch along the beachfront (called The Strand) features large, multilevel, multimillion dollar homes …
Spend as much time around toddlers as I have and you’ll eventually find yourself facing a gizmo called the shape sorter. Our family owned one and so does every church nursery in which I’ve volunteered. While this toy has evolved over the years, the one with which I’m most familiar comes from the Tupperware company. …
When I swam in high school, Mark Spitz was every swimmer’s hero! An Olympic champion, he set world records and won gold medals in seven events at the 1972 Munich Olympics. A stickler for proper form, my coach showed us filmstrips of Mark Spitz swimming, demonstrating proper technique and motivating us. Afterward, “Coach” surprised us by …
For most of my life, I felt flawed. Whether from seeing other kids easily achieve things I struggled with, or through painful awareness of all my mistakes, I knew I needed something. Usually I thought that meant food! A chubby girl riddled with guilt, eventually I reasoned that more knowledge was the key to fixing myself. …
(This was written by Chaplain John Roe from the King Veteran’s Home in Wisconsin where my dad lives. I asked his permission to share, and edited slightly for succinctness.) Adjusting to new realities is a difficult task for many people. I define the term new reality as, “The way life is right now, whether you like …
Before America became a nation, a group of British citizens crossed the sea to start a new life here. As time passed and the settlers’ numbers grew, British homeland authorities considered the colonies a great source of tax revenue. This resulted in protests over taxation without representation and a host of other objections, culminating in …
Early in my technology career in marketing support, I was at the end of a long day of computer demonstrations at a General Motors plant in Michigan. I’d found the facility’s immensity impressive—we’d been transported by vehicle from one part of the building to another. Our driver zipped past showers of sparks and gigantic manufacturing …
Mark 1:1-3 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger. . . who will prepare Your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.’” This quotation from Isaiah …
I grew up a “Navy brat.” Born at the Naval Academy where my dad served as a chaplain, I lived on both coasts and the Gulf of Mexico growing up. Our house decor included seashell soap dishes, paintings of ships at sea, and an autographed photo of Admiral Chester Nimitz (whom I called “Grandpa Nimitz”) signing …
