Author Archives: joyocala

As I reviewed my Christmas letter from last year, I had ended it with the sentiment of hoping 2020 would be more positive.  We, like some of you, suffered family and personal health issues as well as a loss of … Continue reading →

Note to Readers:  This is a guest blog written by my little brother Eric.  I asked Eric to tell me the story of the Christmas Creche that my mother loved so much.  He sent me this beautiful piece full of … Continue reading →

Almost 50 years ago I found a slim book in the Marshall Field book department titled “A Wreath of Christmas Poems.” Every year at Christmas I read the poems with delight.  Here is one of them, “A Hymn on the … Continue reading →

Only one more night! The anticipation is building! Why do we celebrate at night? Tradition tells us that Christ was born at night.  Songs such as “Silent Night” and “O, Holy Night” continue to tell us this story.  That’s how … Continue reading →

 It’s funny how Christmas brings out the kid in us. We get such delight from seeing the youngest among us at play, in wonder, perpetually curious, full of innocence, absorbing all the minor details for the miracle they are. Our … Continue reading →

Just four more days to the celebration of the birth of Jesus.   Our hearts and minds grow closer to Mary, the loving and gentle teenager who would give birth to the Savior of the world.  We marvel at her faith, … Continue reading →

During the Roaring 1920s, a slang expression, “the bee’s knees,” was used to mean something of high quality or upstanding.  Gee, it doesn’t seem so easy to figure out the meaning of such a strange phrase. Do bees even have knees and … Continue reading →

The great news of this week was the arrival of the Covid vaccine.  Praise God!  This news was I’m sure akin to hearing the end of WWII was near.  I heard a military general say this week, it was D-Day … Continue reading →

What are the gifts of Advent?  I have been thinking about this question as I prepare for Christmas.  So often, the material gifts of this season take center stage over the spiritual benefits which we receive from the time of … Continue reading →

It was never a popular Advent hymn. It got banished from the ELW. I had trouble finding a decent recording for you. Here’s a pretty good guitar arrangement. Come, Thou precious Ransom, come,Only hope for sinful mortals!Come, O Savior of … Continue reading →