Author Archives: joyocala

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 →

I have at least 15 cookbooks that were once my mother’s. She probably had at least twice that many, but that’s all I kept. Mom’s philosophy was that if you got one good recipe out of a book, it was … Continue reading →

            I think of myself as a simple, down to earth person, especially with respect to theological issues; I usually find it hard, and not that interesting, to think about arbitrary theological questions or arguments.  The pandemic, however, has caused … Continue reading →

I would hazard a guess that many of you are grandparents, aunts, or uncles. Or you know someone who is a child/youth. Most of them are gamers. Nintendo, Xbox, Minecraft, etc. You start out as a novice beginner and then … Continue reading →

I’ve been doing some genealogy research for a friend who has many Quakers among her ancestors.  I’m finding people who truly put their beliefs into action.  They strongly opposed slavery, and because of this they were instrumental in initiating and … Continue reading →