Monthly Archives: October 2020

The house my grandfather built when my dad came into this world, later became my family’s house.  I lived there from the ages of 12-19.  I loved our backyard paradise.  We had apple trees, five different kinds of grapes, cherry trees, pear trees, … Continue reading →

Did any of you expect you would have a life free of problems?  I think when I was very young I assumed when I grew up my life would be so much better.  I could do whatever I wanted, no … Continue reading →

Monday would have been my father’s 100th birthday.  So, my sisters and brothers had a birthday party-on Zoom!  My sister Catherine even baked a birthday cake which, unfortunately, we couldn’t share.  What fun to see my siblings after such a … Continue reading →

I remember the day well. I was nine years old. We were being assigned to our new Sunday school classes. Lo and behold! there weren’t enough chairs. They had to drag a nail keg out of the furnace room for … Continue reading →

From a blog originally posted on October 9, 2016 I grew up in rural northern Indiana, where there was a fairly large Amish population. I admired them for their hard work, skills as cooks, craftsmen and farmers, and their tolerance … Continue reading →

This could be an I.D. question for many human beings. Most of us have a little bit of crazy. To juxtapose that over and/or against being a luminary, kind of puts one in a different category. You might see where … Continue reading →

When a newborn arrives and we gaze into that precious little face, what do we say?  Oh he looks just like his father, or she looks just like her mother.  In fact all the relatives often join in the chorus … Continue reading →

 Music can touch our inner being. It can motivate us, ignite old memories, create new memories.  Music, in all forms, can touch us. Hymns play an important part in my life.  As a young person in Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and … Continue reading →

I did not write this piece.  It was sent to me by a Facebook friend who is going through a rough patch and I thought it had an excellent message so I decided to share it with my Joy friends. … Continue reading →

I read a mediation this morning about faith that I found interesting enough to share with you.  The reading began with an explanation that many of us think of faith as something that we either have a lot or a … Continue reading →