Life is good for me. Retired with time to do what I want to do. Good husband who is my best friend. Children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren to love. Still, like all of us, difficult times do come. Right now I am facing health issues. I see the doctor tomorrow to review MRI results […]
Getting off the beaten path on a recent trip north led us to another special attraction. In the unincorporated area known as Indian River we found the Cross in the Woods Shrine. This wooden cross was made from a 2,000-year-old California Redwood tree. The tree was found in the state of Oregon and the timber […]
Yesterday it was 37 years since my first husband was killed in an accident. He died when the car he was working on fell on top of him and crushed him. My two young daughters came home from school and found him there. Needless to say, it was quite a traumatic experience for them. All […]
My husband and I recently visited Holland Michigan on our first trip checking out the lighthouses in Michigan. While we enjoyed seeing “Big Red” the real treat was enjoying all the beautiful tulips around town. The weekend before had been their annual Tulip Time Festival. For almost 90 years this annual event has featured over […]
Edgewood, Illinois. Just the mention of that town brings back bad memories. About three months into my sixth grade school year, we moved from Mason to Edgewood (both small towns about 10 miles apart). For me, they were opposite sides of the universe. Mason Grade School was one of my happiest times in school. I […]
This Sunday I had to miss church. It is the second Sunday I have missed because I have been sick. Recovering now, but I so hate to miss church. Somehow the week is just not the same when I have not been able to meet with my church family and join in praise of God […]
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 […]
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 […]
In the Old Testament we are told of a prophet, Elijah, who told the wicked king Ahab that God was going to send a drought on the land because of the sinful leadership of Ahab and his wife, Jezebel. For three years Elijah said there would be no rain. Elijah then made camp at the […]
When we first moved to Michigan I was intrigued to find there were many areas in the state where there had been Underground Railroad activity before the Civil War.. Located close to Canada, Battle Creek was one of the main stops for slaves traveling by foot through Indiana, Detroit and then Canada. One of the […]
When we first moved to Michigan I was intrigued to find there were many areas in the state where there had been Underground Railroad activity before the Civil War.. Located close to Canada, Battle Creek was one of the main stops for slaves traveling by foot through Indiana, Detroit and then Canada. One of the […]
Father’s Day. It is always a bittersweet time for me. Growing up I looked up to my father and wanted to be just like him. Then, as a teenager my father left our family and after that my relationship with him was very chaotic. When Father’s Day comes and so many speak of their great […]
Six years ago a dear friend died just before Christmas. My husband and I had watched him battle cancer (two different kinds) for over two years. It was hard to see him slowly lose the battle. He fought hard and he never lost his courage or his great sense of humor. His family asked my […]
According to the National Retail Federation, a group that compiles information about consumer spending for major American holidays and events, an estimated 165.3 million people will shop from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday. They break the numbers down like this: 39.6 million will shop on Thanksgiving day 114.6 million will shop on Black Friday 66.6 […]
