I am mad for Lake Michigan sunsets.  But on one of my last mornings at our summer place I was captivated by the morning sky.  With the sun rising behind me, the clouds were tinted with a whisper of pink as though painted by Maxfield Parrish.  And I thought, “Lord, it is good for me to be here…let me...

Last week, kayaking with a friend, we decided to paddle upriver where I had seen an eagle perched on a tree branch the week before.  Years ago, the eagles had built their nest in one of the highest pines along the river.  It was no longer there; but because the eagle I had seen was calling to one I ...

There are sounds the river makes
when you float with the current
on a lazy afternoon: 

there’s the rustle and applause
of the cottonwood trees
as the breeze riffles through the leaves,
and even the creak of the tall trunks
when the wind really gets cracking;

there’s the screeching call and response
of th...

Last week all my children and grandchildren went back to California.  While I am sure I will enjoy the next few weeks with a slower pace and a quieter cottage, right now it is almost too quiet.  I mean, yes, I got a good night’s sleep that first night after they left, but I woke with an undergirding...

On top of the dune sits a wise man
   watching the clouds drift on
contemplating the matters of this world
   as if of another one.

He’s not detached, exactly…he’s
   part of the human throng,
but he finds his meaning in heavenly realms
  and not in the “sturm und drang.”

 Life is full of twists and tur...

Our summers in Epworth are so busy.  In the last week alone, several members of our family have participated in a community wide tennis tournament (Pickleball was the week before!), a variety show full of songs, dances and skits, requiring multiple rehearsals, and a parade involving all the kids in ...

I am a doorkeeper,
  holding the portal open
for the sad and grieving hearts
  to hear love proclaimed.

I am opening the gate
  for the person
who has wandered far,
  to find his way back home

I am an usher
  for the longing soul
to find a welcome
  and a seat at life’s banquet

I am a greeter
  who smiles ...

“Our Lord, you are eternal!  Your word will last as long as the heavens.  You remain faithful in every generation, and the earth you created will keep standing firm.”   Psalm 119:89-90 

Lately, I have been fixing my mind on the eternal nature of God and not on the fleeting things of this world.  I ...

As my husband and I were driving across the country from our home in California to our summer cottage in Michigan, we received word that our theatre professor and acting teacher, John David Lutz had been placed on hospice care in his home.  His wife Kathy assured us that it wasn’t because death was ...

Last week’s post garnered more response than usual.  Some of you wrote to tell me that you had always wondered what Lazarus felt about coming back from the dead.  Others wrote to tell me that you had NEVER thought about it from Lazarus’ point of view.  The poem seemed to speak profoundly to both.