Sometimes we don’t take advantage of what Jesus has provided for us. In John 14:12 He said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” When the disciples were in a storm on the Sea of Galilee their boat was in danger of sinking when Jesus was asleep in the stern. They woke Jesus and said to…
Old habits die hard. Two activities stand out to me on Memorial Day. The first is to go to Wal-mart, buy flowers, and decorate my parent’s grave and now my husband’s. My parents are buried in the 1st National Cemetery in Fort Scott, KS. Every year, the cemetery conducts a memorial service for those who served our country in our defense. My son and I attended the service this year, although it had to be held inside because of the…
As a writer, much of your time is spent alone without any feedback. I love it when I hear from a reader–especially when they have enjoyed the read. Recently I received this feedback from my WW II book Hard Times in the Heartland: “My dear friend – I could hardly put the book down. I love the discussion questions – they made me ponder as to how I would answer them. “You are such a thoughtful writer. I know your mother…
Recently I traveled with three other ladies to Oklahoma City to the Oklahoma Writers Federation Conference. (OWFI.org.) Competition there is very fierce. I won second place for my How-to Article entitled, “How to Survive the Death of a Spouse” written from my experiences this past year. Does anyone have a suggestion where I might send this article? Anyone who is serious about writing would be wise to attend this conference held each year the first weekend in May. My…
There are certain advantages to living long. Recently, I had the privilege of seeing with my own eyes the seventh generation of my family line. The picture on the left is my great-grandmother Edmiston with my two younger cousins and I on Christmas 1947. In the pic on the right, I’m meeting my own first great-grandchild for the first time some seventy-two years later. How swiftly life flies. Gone in a puff, before our eyes. At first, it seems a…
Every April and November Writers Digest conducts a poem a day challenge. Robert Lee Brewer gives the daily prompts. The day before Easter this year Robert suggested we write a dark poem. Here is my poem to that prompt. Easter Morn Darkness turned to dawn the day Jesus rose from the grave. Despair turned to disbelief when Mary Magdalene brought the news, “He is risen!” Frantic confusion gave way to faith when Peter and John entered the empty tomb. Aching…
You may think this is a trash bin, but it isn’t. It’s my flour bin. It’ll hold thirty pounds of flour and behind the plastic tub is enough room for my bread pans. When I bake bread I make nine loaves at a time. Two thirds of the flour comes from this bin. I grind the other third from wheat berries in my flour mill. Next to the flour bin sits my mixing bowls, hand mixer, and toaster. Since I…
The old patio was a hodgepodge of concrete and rotted wood with pots of okra, tomatoes, and flowers. The concrete man made a clean sweep with his jackhammers . . . then came the re-bar, and soon we were on the way to a new look. When he finished I got to work with this result. I can’t wait for the weather to allow me to get the potted plants from the basement and begin again. Next week I’ll show…
The living room didn’t change much except for decluttering and a new floor treatment. Here’s the new look. The garage is another matter. As you can see, the floor had disintegrated and re-bar came up through the surface. I don’t have a picture of the terrible clutter that covered that mess because I didn’t have to nerve to take one. When my sister-in-law and I finished cleaning we had removed 123 cans of spray paint and a half-pickup load of…
Over the years the bath off the kitchen gathered an eclectic conglomeration of stuff. (That’s a nice way to put it.) In an attempt to declutter, I went for the simple look. The cabinets match the kitchen ones as well as the paint. A new taller toilet finished this room. The dining room had the same heavy beams as the family room. All the floors were carpeted on the main level. One of the last things to be accomplished was…