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 […]
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 […]
There is a popular Christmas song that many love and it gets a lot of air time at the holiday season. I love it too, especially the line that says “When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God.” But I have to ask myself as I listen to this song, do […]
As I age, I am battling “Old Man Arthritis.” Some days when I get out of bed I can hardly walk. After a trip to the bathroom and then to the kitchen for my cup of coffee (which my husband always has ready for me), I began to lose some of the stiffness and I am […]
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. […]
I just finished reading (for the second time) the biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was a German pastor during the time of Hitler and World War II. As the Nazis came to power and took control of the church, he faced a real dilemma. He could not continue to stand with the church hierarchy who […]
It was in January 39 years ago I walked into a church in Bethalto, Illinois, not knowing that I was about to meet my future husband. As Paul and I remember that special day, we still marvel at how God brought us together. So – once again, I share our story. “We as a community […]
This past week I was at a women’s Bible study when our leader asked us: What is today? Everyone immediately called out: It’s Valentine’s day! She then asked us: But what else is it? Sadly, only a few realized it was the beginning of Lent, it was Ash Wednesday. For this week’s lesson we had […]
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 […]
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 […]
At this time of the year we turn to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke to read the Christmas story. Each Gospel gives us a different aspect of the birth of Jesus. Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the King. He starts his Gospel with the genealogy of Jesus showing his descent from Abraham, the founder […]
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. […]
Continuing my posts on the old gospel songs we used to sing, today I remember the first song I ever performed in public. As a young girl I took piano lessons and when my father, who was a minister, had speaking engagements he often would have me play and sing something before he spoke. Although […]
