When I Survey the Wonderful Cross

I was surprised by Ruth's desire to readjust her schedule, post-Corona virus. Her daily rituals of meditation, study, connection with nature, and creative homemaking have always impressed me. But even Ruth desires a more simpler, focused life. Ruth joins the stay-at-home chorus with me and many of my friends; when we get past this I …

Freezer Tomatoes for Sauce and Chili

Last season, tomatoes in our community garden went CRAZY.  So we canned them, made sauce to give away, begged strangers to take our tomatoes, donated them to food pantries, and froze pounds of Romas and Big Boys. I found an easy way to freeze tomatoes and prepare them for sauce, so they did not go …

Quirky and Quotidian

Poet and author Kathleen Norris is my favorite non-fiction female writer. Her work never fails to enhance my spiritual reflection. Norris is probably best known for her New York Times bestseller, "The Cloister Walk," which recounts her six month experience as an oblate in a Benedictine monastery. My own abbreviated yet sacred time at the …

Simple Spaces

Are you riding the Marie Kondo purging wagon or perhaps the minimalist wave? Are you down sizing, right sizing, or sizing up condominium living?  Perhaps you are smitten, like I am, with an urge to decrease your material footprint and live life more simply. Judging from national best-seller lists, I am not alone in my …

Daily.

What I do every day matters more than what I do once in a while. Gretchen Rubin   While habits and happiness author Gretchen Rubin is not referring to spiritual disciplines, her popular one-liner drives home my church's 30-day call to prayer. Our  leaders agree with Rubin's focus on consistency. So they've designed an avenue …

Ten Degrees Below Zero

    Ten degrees below zero. Sounds miserable, doesn't it? That's been a part of our weather experience as Jim and I do a little "wintering" in Minnesota. Of course being near my daughter and her family is worth every single below zero degree! (And I'm actually getting a little accustomed to it.) -10 was …

Winter Seminar Series 2018 at Park Street

Park Street Brethren Church is pleased to announce four seminar opportunities that will both inspire and educate. Each presenter is a dedicated follower of Christ and will speak from experience, education, and their spiritual formation. Light refreshments will be served. Winter Seminar Series 2018 @ Park Street Brethren Church 619 Park Street, Ashland, Ohio 6:30 …

CHRISTmas Voices

Still in my flannels, cocooning with Christmas lights and my favorite afghan, I decided to approach the day slowly. Goldberry Midnight Clear coffee blend and a frivolous mystery novel would be my morning fare. Jim was stretched out on the couch, shivering under blankets due to ice packs wrapped around his knees to aid in …

Because Life Can Turn on a Dime (no. 6)

A friend is beginning a difficult journey that she never anticipated. A once healthy family member is undergoing tests that could determine an unwelcome new normal. She described the shock to her system this way: "In an instant, life can turn on a dime." When she gave this thought a voice, we both got a …

In the Now (no. 5)

  Fixer Upper fans know it as Demo Day. Football fans call it Game Day. On a more serious note, cancer warrior Sheila declares it Chemo Day. What it is, is a time in one's life so significant that the day is assigned a moniker all its own. I asked Sheila how she manages on Chemo Day and other crucial …