Monthly Archives: September 2013

Riding Without Training Wheels!

I had just asked God how He wanted to reveal Himself to me today when my phone notified me that someone had left a message. It was my seven-year-old granddaughter. (I gave myself permission to interrupt my reflective time with … Continue reading

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Waiting for the Morning

  I am sitting in the dark, listening to gentle music, sipping hot coffee and watching the stars that God has hung in place, remembering that He knows their name.   I am waiting for the morning. I know it … Continue reading

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A Good Use for a Husband

I asked my grandchildren (ages 5 and 7) to “help” me make a birthday cake for my sister. Since my sister is obsessed with losing weight, I bought all the ingredients at the health food store and convinced her that … Continue reading

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The Freedom to be the Receiver of Grace

 Yesterday someone told me that aging brings with it a resistance to being a receiver. A fear of dependence surfaces the childish response, “I can do it myself.”  An offer to help a person in such a place is likely … Continue reading

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The Grace to be Diminished

I first heard this phrase several years ago from a wise mother speaking of parenting her adult children. It refers to the expensive love of a parent pouring sacrificially into their child with the goal of this child being able … Continue reading

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How Do I See Myself?

I recently learned that a group of ministry leaders were being asked to do an exercise in character development.  One of the steps asked the participant to “Describe yourself by identifying the animal you most feel like or the vehicle … Continue reading

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The Gift of Encountering a New Friend

 Most of us remember our best friend from childhood. It is common to be asked for this name as a security question when setting up an Internet account.  I have not seen a security question that asks for the name … Continue reading

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The Diary of a Cat

This is a page from the diary of my 9-year-old Siamese cat. His name is Takker, pronounced “Tucker” because he came to me as a gift on Thanksgiving and Takk is the Norwegian word for thanks. These are Takker’s own words … Continue reading

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Freedom to Seek Extravagance

It is one of those phone calls that melt my heart. My granddaughter, age 6, is asking me to take her to the store. She’s only initiated phone contact a few times so her planning this event for us to … Continue reading

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How Does It Feel to Be Left Behind?

by-Shirlee Vandegrift How does it feel to be left behind? Were you ever left, or did you do the leaving? It was over 50 years ago that three other mothers and I took turns driving our children to the various … Continue reading

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