Since breaking my ankle at the end of June, I’ve been dependent on my husband for … well, for pretty much everything. He brings me coffee and water and meals on a tray. He does ALL the laundry, ALL the dishes, ALL the meal cleanup. He takes me wherever I need to go, helps me navigate safely on crutches, pushes …
Concerning Idols
I asked the Lord, “What is an idol in my life? Show me what is in my right hand, the thing I worship more than you.” Then I looked, and in my hand was a trophy. I was standing on a stage in front of an applauding audience, holding an award for a book I’d written. I was horrified, and …
2012 Carol Award Finalist List
Please join me in congratulating the finalists of the 2012 Carol Awards. Winners will be announced Saturday, September 22, 2012, at the ACFW Awards Gala. If you’re looking for a summer reading list, look no further. There are some absolutely fantastic books on this list – the best that Christian fiction has to offer this year! I’m honored beyond belief …
Considering Humpty Dumpty
Sitting around waiting for your foot to heal results in a lot of time on your hands. My mind has begun to wander as I’ve contemplated the great mysteries of the world. Such as this one: Why is Humpty Dumpty always depicted as an egg? Think about it. Nothing in the original rhyme says he was an egg, or even …
What’s Happening at the Smith Household – OUCH!
I don’t do things halfway. I’m what they call an overachiever. If I’m going to do something, I like to throw myself into the task. That can be a good thing, or… Last week I was visiting my son and daughter-in-law for the weekend. I got up early in the morning and slipped outside with a cup of coffee and …
Summer Vegetable Salad
Last week my church had a picnic, and someone brought a delicious chilled vegetable salad. I never found out who brought it so I couldn’t get the recipe. When I got home I did a little surfing on the Internet, and though I didn’t find exactly the same thing, I got some ideas. So I mixed up my own version, …
Healing Hurts
The other day my not-quite-two-year-old grandson got a splinter in his finger. By the time he showed his parents his “owie,” the skin had closed over and the area had become red and swollen. Mommy and Daddy borrowed a needle from me and proceeded to remove the splinter. Oh, Dominic did not like that! “It hurts, it hurts!” he cried …
Hungry as a … bird.
The other day I took my coffee outside to enjoy a quiet moment in the beautiful spring weather. When I sat on the bench on my front porch, I heard a noise coming from the cherry tree nearby. A bird, obviously, but not singing. This was a harsh kind of sound, faint but insistent. More like a cry of some …
Fresh Truth in Reruns
I’m beginning a new Bible study this week – Beth Moore’s “Breaking Free.” I went through this study around 10 years ago, and it ministered some powerful truths to me then. I’ve done more than a dozen in-depth formal studies since that time, as well as less formal daily readings and studies. It’s funny, but I’ve thought a lot about …
Quilt Imperfections
The other day I was making up the guest room in preparation for a friend’s visit. As I spread a quilt over the mattress and smoothed out a wrinkle, my fingers lingered over a seam. This quilt is one of several I received when my husband’s father passed away. He and his wife lived in northern Ohio, an area that …