In our road trip today we visited one of only two covered bridges open to traffic in Michigan. The bridge leads to a village that time has forgotten. John Wesley Fallas and his brother, Silas, came to the area in 1837. Built alongside the Flat River they used the power from the river to construct […]
I recently read a book recommended by one of my daughters, “Affluence with Abundance,” by James Suzman. The author did an intensive study of the vanishing world of the bushmen in southern Africa. Viewed by the western world as a society lacking all the great benefits of our modern culture, the author notes: “…hunters-gatherers appeared […]
Almost two years ago my husband and I moved to Michigan. Situated close to the middle of the “mitten” we have spent the last two years exploring this beautiful state. We have fallen in love with the many small towns around the state that are full of arts and crafts, charming down towns that have […]
While visiting the St Croix River Valley we found the site of the first commercial sawmill in what became the state of Minnesota. Two lumbermen from Marine Illinois, David Hone and Lewis Judd, finding the area’s abundant white pine, decided to build a sawmill here. They named the spot Marine after their hometown in Illinois. […]
Years ago my father sometimes held revivals in small churches in southern Illinois. Many of the churches either had no piano player (this was before the era of drums and guitars in worship) or a very untalented player. Since he felt music was important for sharing the gospel, he came up with a solution. He […]
One of the earliest carols written in North America is a song we never sing. Most of us have probably never even heard of it. It was written by John de Brebeuf, a Jesuit missionary to the Huron Indians. Brebeuf, along with a group of Jesuits, lived with the Hurons in what is now modern-day […]
Then Jesus took His disciples up on the mountain and gathering them around Him, He taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven Blessed are the meek Blessed are they that mourn Blessed are the merciful Blessed are they that thirst for justice Blessed are you when […]
It’s Friday – time again for a post on the old church hymns. This week as I thought about what song to write one very old hymn came to mind. So I ask – What picture do you see when you think of God? From reading the Bible I have found some unusual pictures. A […]
Today is a happy day for me! Today I am exploring the western side of Michigan along Lake Michigan. We have a hotel in the middle between Ludington and Traverse City Michigan. What a beautiful area! The lake, rivers, sand dunes, beaches, quaint shops and restaurants! My heart rejoices because we are celebrating 35 years […]
We all love a winner! We hold parades, parties, all kinds of celebrations when our team becomes state champion. Coming in second in a state-wide contest leaves people feeling so dejected. They seem to forget that being second means they have beat out many other teams. In the Olympics, athletics say they are going for […]
I recently read a book recommended by one of my daughters, “Affluence with Abundance,” by James Suzman. The author did an intensive study of the vanishing world of the bushmen in southern Africa. Viewed by the western world as a society lacking all the great benefits of our modern culture, the author notes: “…hunters-gatherers appeared […]
A few days ago I wrote about how easy I find it to complain instead of being thankful. A friend responded some of the problem might be all the input we get today from media. I thought about that and realized much of the information we get is geared to the negative. We call a […]
A fun trip this week to Lowell, Michigan. Founded as a trading post in 1831 by Daniel Marsac on the Grand River, in 1851 when a post office was established it was named Lowell after the township. Located about 20 miles from Grand Rapids, this small town has a six-block downtown with antique stores, art […]
Hard to believe it has been one year already. Exactly one year ago today my husband and I left our home in northern Illinois and traveled to the middle of Michigan to a new home. The metropolitan area we lived in known as the Quad Cities has a population of over 400,000. It includes five […]
