Have you ever heard of or seen an ancient tear jar? Stories of tear jars—or lachrymatories—appear often in middle eastern history. In Roman times, women would fill these small glass jars with their tears and place them in tombs as symbols of love and mourning for their deceased loved one. A wife in antiquity might use such a jar to collect her tears of grief and longing for a husband who was … [Read more...]
My Eulogy to Dad
Several of you have asked about the eulogy I gave at Dad's funeral almost two weeks ago and if I would share it. I'm happy to. But first, thank you, friends, for your recent prayers. I felt them every step of the way. It was hard saying goodbye—however temporarily—to Dad, but being at his bedside with Doug and Esta (Dad remarried at age 79 after Mom passed) was such an incredible blessing. One … [Read more...]
First Line Frenzy—& GiveawayS!
I love reading first lines of novels. One of my favorite pastimes is pulling books off the shelf (or opening samples downloaded to my Kindle) and reading first lines of novels to see which ones pull me in the most. A phenomenal first line doesn't automatically guarantee a great read, of course. But it does mean the author has given thought as to how to capture—and keep—your interest! So … [Read more...]
Marginal Promises & prayers
'Fess up! Are you a person who writes in their Bible? Last night I attended a Bible study and as I was looking up various Scriptures, I spotted precious notes, timely reminders, and personal pleas that I've written in the margins through the years. And I was reminded, yet again, of how faithful God is in answering prayer. One big prayer especially—which I listed last below. I loved running … [Read more...]
Beginnings
I love beginnings. I love fresh starts. I've long been drawn to "path pictures" because they represent these beginnings and fresh starts. A chance to (as the Apostle Paul says) forget what is behind and press forward to what lies ahead. Of course, we don't truly "forget" the past in the sense that what's behind us is forgotten. Rather, with determination, we choose not to dwell on the … [Read more...]