“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12 It was a beautiful summer day. The sun was shining, the waves were breaking, and my friends and I were enjoying the teen scene at the beach. It was a day like many before; we were just hanging out and having fun.  All of a sudden, several of us noticed that Sharon had drifted away from us and now was waving urgently to get our attention. She didn’t seem in danger; just distress. A couple of us swam over to her and discovered that she had lost the elastic in her bathing suit bottom…and the waves then had swept it away! All of sudden she found herself unprepared to join in our party.  What do you do when you’re half-naked in the waves? And why did Sharon go into the water (as she later admitted) with a loose suit to begin with?  I see her unfortunate experience as a great metaphor for life. Poorly pr...

A few days ago, my daughter gave birth to her daughter.  I am sitting and holding this little bundle of life, with an overwhelming sense of the treasure she is: a little person whose life outside the womb has just begun.  I believe life begins at conception, so little Miranda Renae started life even before her mother and father knew about her. A tiny heart was pulsating and pumping blood. Backbone and spinal cord were forming. The digestive system was being created and small buds appeared which would become arms and legs. Between those beginning moments and this moment nine months later, Miranda has grown into a fully-formed – and small! – person.  Her entrance into the world now gives her new freedom of movement and growth in every aspect of what life holds: spiritually, mentally and physically. How amazing!  In this new life, it will take time for her to unfold, as it were. For a while, she’s going to spend lots of time sleeping and eating. Her little b...

Only $35.00. Just $35.00 to take this class on “lotion and salve making”. I would love it! It would be fun, I would leave with a new skill, along with a batch of recipes and ideas to custom-make my own stuff!  Just $35.00 and only three class sessions. I’ve wanted to learn this skill  for quite a while. I’ve visited numerous booths at fairs with people who create their own lotions and creams and soaps, and I’ve been wanting to figure out how to use lavender…one of my favorite scents. I’ve cut lavender, I’m growing lavender plants, I’m drying lavender, one of my favorite teas is Lavender Earl Grey, and I enjoy a good lavender scone or cookie. And here I am with lavender hanging in our barn, and lavender essence of oil waiting in my cupboard. I could learn to make lavender lotion!  So why not sign up? Why not spend the $35? The issue really isn’t all about spending the money, but the more significant issue of spending time and energy. For attend...

With the passing of Labor Day, we enter into a time of transition. The seasonal shift from summer to fall begins to take place.  It’s often the little things that catch my attention. In our flower garden some bushes have come and gone, in our vegetable garden less produce is being picked, and apples are beginning to fall from the trees.  If somehow I miss these obvious signs, school starts for the kids of our community this week. Change is in the works!  This time of transition has caused me to reflect on the upcoming season. Fall seems to be a particularly full time of year for many people. School, many sports and other activities gear up when the calendar turns to September. The fall also includes special Harvest or Halloween activities, Thanksgiving, and then quickly heads into the Christmas season.  So I wonder, what does my heart feel as it faces this unfolding season? I can feel a sense of adrenaline rush: so much to do; so little time. I can fee...