Author Archives: joyocala

The new year is upon us and we find ourselves starting another rotation around the sun. How do you greet the new year? Are you cautiously optimistic that life will be better than it was last year? Maybe you are … Continue reading →

 A New Year! A Fresh Start! An Opportunity for Change! A Chance to Make a Difference in the Lives I touch on a daily basis. Now that I have written these phrases, I wonder why I need a new year … Continue reading →

Driving down Silver Springs Boulevard during the holidays is an interesting experience. Heading west from the east side of town you notice an increasing number of decorations. Reaching downtown  there is an explosion of lights. A canopy of white lights … Continue reading →

The “holiday season” is past.  The stores have replaced most of the Christmas items with Valentine’s items.  Radio stations are, once again, playing the music genre they did before the Christmas carols began.  Children have returned to school.  Parents have … Continue reading →

Please don’t let the title fluster you. Union with God is not some goal to achieve, a new year resolution. It is not a skill to acquire, but it IS a status. It is a reality, perhaps even a foregone … Continue reading →

Let’s keep Christmas in the air, at least for a few more days until the Feast of the Epiphany.  One of my favorites is the beautiful song by Mark Lowry written in 1984.  It is said that he started thinking … Continue reading →

        On a recent night walk with our sweet dog, I couldn’t help but notice the dark night sky. Having said that, it really was dark, but there shown Venus and a full moon, the only lights.  Stunning.  I should have taken a … Continue reading →

The hope of Jesus is never more evident that it is at Christmas. That is in part because we are reminded more of the blessed birth of our Savior. We also see more people coming forward to help those in … Continue reading →

Have you ever been afraid of the dark? As a child, I was terrified of the darkness. It was a special form of torture for me to have to go upstairs at night. I am not sure why there wasn’t … Continue reading →

The Christmas carol that was the most fun for us kids in choir to sing was “The Snow Lay on the Ground” in the arrangement by Leo Sowerby. We sang it with combined choirs so there were probably forty singers … Continue reading →