I attended a funeral recently for a man I didn’t know well. His daughter is a friend from church, his wife a friend from book club. “It is better to go to a house of mourning,” scripture says, “than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:2).  I need a reminder, every now and then, of how short time my time on earth … [Read more...]

Today is the day I’ve been anticipating for the past eight months, the day we move into our new home in Michigan. It’s the end of a journey but also the beginning of a new one. My husband Ken and I started planning his retirement last fall as we vacationed in Michigan where he grew up—and where we met and fell in love.  As we cycled along one of our favorite bicycle trails near the … [Read more...]

One of the biggest obstacles I faced in becoming a writer was fear. What if I wrote for years and never got published? What if I was no good? What if people laughed? I was so afraid of failing and of being criticized that my husband was the only person who knew I wanted to write. One day during my quiet time, I realized fear was killing my dream. I needed to trust God and take the seeds of my … [Read more...]

A friend recently told me he had an idea for a book and planned to write it after he retires in 10 years.  I frequently hear comments like that, often about writing or some other dream for the future. “Someday, I would love to…” Followed by the excuses: “My kids are involved in too many activities right now; things are really crazy at work; I don’t have a calm, quiet place to write; I don’t have … [Read more...]