A Charlie Brown Christmas tree was a reality to this farm kid. We paraded through the woods until we came upon a young white pine. With luck it would have four or five branches and no more than 4 feet high. Our father constructed a tree stand out of scrap lumber. Mom had a few time-worn balls with most of…
Month: April 2017
Be Still and Know . . .
As the bus left Denver my seatmate turned to me. I always get sad when I leave the city. I grew up with the sounds of the city in my ears. I get a lonely feeling just thinking about being away from the city. What a strange man! He probably thought I was strange when I told him about my…
A Still Small Voice
Three thousand elementary school children filled the concert hall of the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. You guessed it. The sound of that many voices was deafening. The musicians took their places. The maestro stepped to center stage without saying a word or gesturing for quiet. Slowly the din of voices diminished. Softly the director spoke. If you promise to keep from…
The Narrow Road
Our little family loves to explore! When a vacation is planned we don’t simply go…NO NO NO! We buy books and research the area. We find out-of-the-way places and little known areas of awesomeness. I mean, who else can say they’ve been coast to coast…in the upper Peninsula of Michigan? (Which I actually wouldn’t recommend. The “awesome” is few and…
Even If . . .
A few weeks ago our neighbor’s house was struck by lightning and caught fire. After being startled awake by the biggest, booming crack of thunder, and then drifting back to sleep for a few minutes, my dog Rose went to the door and began whining. I got up sleepily and went to let her out, when I saw the neighbor’s…