A Different Kind of Homelessness
The saying is “home sweet home” rather than “house sweet house” and the reason is obvious. The idea of home is so much more than a place. It is full of intangible things like love, comfort, safety and a strong sense of belonging, both those who belong to me and those to whom I…
Letter to my future self
So I finally found a copy of a letter I wrote to myself quite a long time ago. Now I am 60 so it is interesting to compare how life IS versus what I imagined and hoped it would be. Dear 60 year old Miriam (2019), If you are reading this, you have managed to…
39 Years
For the past 9 years I have tried to have some creative angle on how to celebrate our wedding anniversary without Jim. It might seem a weird thing to honor and yet remembering Jim is what I do anyway. Marriage is a big deal and I am grateful for the one I had. So I…
Goodbye to Earl Gray
So the Toyota is done. After 230000 miles, many trips and oil changes, moves and soccer tournaments, it can no longer pass smog. It has served our family well. I prayed that it would get Clayton through college and it did! I will miss it but I am so glad to not have to worry…
Like Father Like Son
Hey Jim! … So yesterday our son told me he is interested in vocational ministry. I must admit that I find that daunting and I am not sure why. Perhaps it is because I can see how things have changed or because I have become a bit jaded. Maybe it is because I have seen…
Saved
50 years ago today Jesus saved me. I was 9 1/2 years old and we lived in Calabasas. I remember it like it was yesterday. Jesus Saved me from sin. from Hell. from falling. from myself. for good works. to be His His treasure. Forever. again and again. because I called on Him and asked…
DFB is 150
Downey First Baptist is 150 years old. Today was a celebration. Dennie led the challenge from Philippians 3 to forget what lies behind and press on to the goal to win the prize. There were many friends, former staff members and memories to share. It was fun to stop and remember the importance and the…
Earl & Connie Degrafft 70 Years!
When I first met the Degraffts I was a newlywed, or about to be. It was a serendipitous moment when the church (DFB) bought the “promised land” and we became neighbors. God always knows what we need and he met that need beyond anything I could imagine in Earl and Connie. (and that is a…
Billy Graham
Well Dr Graham went home to heaven yesterday and everyone seems to be sharing their memories and stories of this amazing evangelist, known as America’s Pastor. I too have stories! My first remembrance is when I was probably 4 years old. We sat really high up in the Coliseum in LA and I remember that…
The End of an Era
16 years and countless hours on a soccer field, dozens of pairs of cleats, shinguards and uniforms; lots of laundry, sunscreen and gas, and now it is all in the rearview mirror. Clayton has played his last soccer game. Oh, I am quite sure that there will be more games and soccer play in his…