Author Archives: joyocala

The other day, I came across a teenage mother in the parking lot of Walmart.  Her beautiful toddler was asleep in her arms and her luggage was piled on the small median where she sat.  When she was still in … Continue reading →

In the heat of mid-August I long for the cooler temperatures of winter when I can again wear my disreputable shirt.  It’s a blue-plaid flannel that my mother gave me for Christmas nearly 50 years ago when I still lived … Continue reading →

The root of the English word “pray” means to ask or beg. As we know, there is a lot more to prayer than asking for stuff. Nevertheless, prayer of asking (or petition, to use the fancy term) is an important … Continue reading →

 It’s a title that has fallen out of vogue – “Master”. Even in Christian hymnody it is only found in a few of the “golden oldies”, the most well-known being “O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee”. The term “master” … Continue reading →

“I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no … Continue reading →

Gosh and golly, RING, RING, RING… “your warranty is running out…blah, blah…” This is a message that is repeated almost daily via spam robo calls to my cell phone. I choose to ignore these daily nonsense calls. However, there are … Continue reading →

Today I feel grateful for the “good news”. We all grow tired of bad news.  The Corona virus, civil unrest, mass shootings, drugs, human trafficking, wild fires, floods and tornadoes are front and center at all times in the headlines … Continue reading →

I bought a new broom the other day; not an ordinary broom, but an extraordinary broom.  The bristles are natural material: very soft, very fine and very flexible.  It is a Vietnamese broom.  I bought it at the local Asian … Continue reading →

In Erin Morgenstern’s fantasy novel The Night Circus the illusionist Celia Bowen asks 15-year- old Bailey Clarke to take on the burden of the magical circus. “You’re not destined or chosen. I wish I could tell you that you were if that … Continue reading →

How’d you sleep last night?   Tossing and turning perhaps?   Watching that clock move ahead at an agonizingly slow pace?  Was it pain, discomfort, worry or just plain fretting?   If you were blessed with hours of peaceful quiet rest, perhaps you … Continue reading →