…the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.
Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me (Song of Solomon 2:12)
Be like the dove, He said… [click to continue…]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Photos
Something charming about the word, “first.”
We remember first loves, first cars, first dates.
Sometimes we remember what others can’t – like first birthdays, first steps…
And yes, first snow.
The first experience of anything significant
Carries a unique mix of curiosity and delight… [click to continue…]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Dear Nurse Ratched,
I just thought I should let you know that in the event I’m having symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, I probably won’t be signing in.
I’ll be more concerned about checking out.
Of course, the whole stroke thingy is a bit dicey anyway, ‘cause I have a 50/50 chance of being unable to use my left (writing) hand.
And if I think I’m having a heart attack, I’ll assure you, you won’t be able to read my writing.
You’ll just have to open the door and say,
“Mr. AAAAAAHHHHHHHH, the doctor will see you now.”
(Photo by Mike Tekula)
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
(Sung to the tune of “Christmas is Coming”)
Christmas is coming
The elves have been away
Now they’re returning from their holiday.
If you haven’t any reindeer
An airline flight will do
If you haven’t got an airline flight,
Then God bless you.
Christmas is coming
Although it’s still July
We’re going shopping, and no asking “Why?”
Hobby Lobby has your ornaments
And artificial pines
If you don’t have one in your town
Then shop online.
Christmas is coming
The elves may call it quits –
Santa’s reducing all their benefits.
If you haven’t got insurance
Obamacare will do
If you haven’t got Obamacare
It’s time to sue.
(Photo credit: EchoDeltaDeltaOscarNovember
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
The only time I ever bought clothes for my children without a guardian present, I bought two dresses in Mobile – this one and a green one.
Actually, I bought the same dresses twice, for a special reason. Earlier that day my twin girls were born.
Little did I know how quickly they would outgrow them.
Today this dress – and the girls who wore it – turns 25. Time moves even faster now. But the love that filled my heart that July day is stronger than ever.
Happy Birthday, ladies. May you change your world as much as you’ve changed mine.
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
“What we have here,” said Cool Hand Luke, “is a failure to communicate.”
Sometimes the problem doesn’t lie in what we say, or even how we say it.
Sometimes the problem is in the noise surrounding the signal.
Sometimes we hide our message, hoping it blends in and doesn’t offend anybody.
Sometimes we have neglected the trust between the “sign” and the “driver,” and life has overgrown between us.
Nearly always, someone has recognized the problem, but decided that it’s not their job to fix it.
Communication isn’t just about the message. It’s also the clarity between sender and receiver.
(Photo credit: choralbari – taken while standing in the middle of a street)
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
To see in him the image of two – an increase to my place in the world;
To shelter him, and walk at his pace until he can walk at mine;
To lend my strength until he has his own;
To model a partnership of intimacy and trust;
To introduce him to an abundant world;
To teach him the ancient ways, that will live in him beyond my lifetime;
To set him free, even from my influence;
To touch eternity by the ways I touch his life…
This is the sacred trust – to forever remain the friend of a child.
Photo Source: Scenes from Indonesia
Photo credit: REUTERS/Beawiharta
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Somewhere in a sea of uniformity, a yellow tulip stands alone.
Exquisite… but doubtless convinced that “different” means “ugly.”
Ask this amber wonder for any wish – it will openly yearn to be “normal.”
Never again to be viewed as a mistake, or a freak.
And yet, wish granted, all that remains is a sea of red.
Beautiful… but hardly remarkable.
To dress as no other is the honor of the bride.
To sing as no other is the glory of the nightingale.
To live, give, and love as no other is the beauty of a heart freed by grace.
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
There’s more to vision than hopeful daydreaming about a desired future.
Yes, vision sees the goal, but it is aware of much more than that.
Vision sees the path from here to there.
Vision recognizes the need for decisive action. It has a bias toward making the jump.
Vision also recognizes the risks and potential dangers that lurk on all sides, and prepares accordingly for them.
Vision then sees beyond the goal. It recognizes the larger community, and the visionary’s place in the larger world.
Yes, vision sees the goal. But true visionaries recognize that success is more than the perfect landing.
(This extraordinary picture of Oberstdorf, Germany as reflected in the goggles of Japanese ski jumper Noriaki Kasai is one of many that can be found here. PHOTO: Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach)
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
(Click photo to enlarge)
This is what hurricanes do.
On September 13, this street in Gilchrist, Texas was lined with homes and probably some businesses.
One Ike later, one house still stands.
This, to me, is a symbol of what life can do.
The winds begin to blow, the floods and storm surge begin to rise, and once-beautiful lives turn to random sticks and bricks.
I want to be the last house standing.
I want to be the one who can prevail, even if all others fall to the ferocious winds.
I just don’t want to have to face any storms to prove it.
(Image by David J. Phillip/Getty Images. For more Hurricane Ike images, click here)
{ Comments on this entry are closed }