Passing the Baton
I’ve been doing youth ministry (in some various form) since I was about 19. Since I’m almost 65 this means I’ve been ministering to teens for 45 years. Although my days of active student ministry are over, I have been blessed to have been able to support those who are in the driver’s seat here…
Sewing #32
I was clearing and compacting some things in my storage unit last weekend. I saw a book that I have had since I was in early elementary school. It is titled, “Sewing is Fun”. Since seeing it I hunted and retrieved my sewing machine. I do think sewing is fun and I learned to do…
School Shopping #31
When I was growing up this was the season when summer started to wind down and all the Sunday paper ads turned to thoughts of fall and going back to school. I remember the season well because it felt like Christmas – right before the “new year”. I would pick out new shoes, new clothes…
Ice Cream #30
Two days ago I took my mom to Baskin Robbins 31 flavors because treats are 31% off on the thirty-first of each month.* My mom usually buys 5 or 6 scoops to carry her through to the next month that ends with 31 days. That brings me to thinking about ice cream and life! I…
Olympics #29
I was fortunate enough to live in southern California in 1984 during the Olympic games. It was difficult to get tickets for some of the big events like gymnastics but it was not hard to participate. Different family members and I took in soccer, field hockey, diving and some track and field events. The Olympics…
Something I used to eat #28
My brother and I were reminiscing about some of the things we used to have at meals growing up with some regularity. Some things we miss with fondness like flank steak and beef stroganoff. We remember how my mom prepared our baked potatoes and the skins (which we still both eat that way). Other foods…
Flying Lessons #27
I remember my first plane flight. I was in high school and I flew from John Wayne Airport to San Jose to visit my friend Gaylynn Terry. We had been friends since we were little and had kept our friendship intact even though she had moved to Fountain Valley and then Walnut Creek while I…
When friends become Family #26
I am not sure when it happens. I am not sure how it happens … or why, but I know that it happens. I grew up in a home in California and we did not live near our blood relatives. My mom’s family lived on the east coast and my dad’s relatives are from the…
The Dating pool
I was asked, again, if I ever considered dating and getting remarried. My answer hasn’t changed. I had a good marriage and I really never considered doing it again. But at the same time I miss companionship every day. Jim’s friendship. And even after 14 years without him the aloneness seems stronger every day instead…
My Brothers #25
I have 2 brothers and they both have birthdays in June. My brother Jonathan turned 60 this week and David turned 58. Growing up they shared a room and they had some of the same comparison and squabbles, jealousies and issues that my sister and I did. I am sometimes startled at how much my…