Author Archives: joyocala

Surgery was pending and I was not a fan of pain nor do I tolerate most medications. I had previously only been hospitalized two times, for the birth of my two sons. Immediately upon being told the dreaded “C” word … Continue reading →

Here’s a little devotion on a carol before Christmas ends tomorrow. The rose is sometime used as a symbol for Jesus. It’s in the song “Lo, How a Rose E’re Blooming.” The first “rose carol” I learned, however, was “Maria … Continue reading →

This title is a take-off on a 12-step saying: Each day a new beginning. It is meant to remind us that we can always begin again with a fresh slate at any time. We make a big deal about celebrating … Continue reading →

The holidays are winding down, and I’m desperate for a devotion topic. I discovered that on this day in 1836, Queen Emma of Hawaii was born. Right, I didn’t know there was a Queen Emma either. She was the wife … Continue reading →

Do you remember the Saturday Evening Post? I used to like it, primarily for the short stories; I sometimes read it at the library but would now and then buy a copy. My favorite stories were the Alexander Botts stories … Continue reading →

This will not be what you are thinking or what you expect. Our Gracious God must know that we are inimitably weary of the world’s salacious news. First, a disclaimer, a mea culpa. I am slacking off today. The bulk … Continue reading →

On our liturgical calendar we are in the middle of the Christmas season, about halfway to Epiphany on January 6th. Yet in our homes the Christmas season may look a bit different. The gifts have long since been opened, the … Continue reading →

My Nana, born of German immigrants, made some yummy, memory-sticking foods. Her Pennsylvania Dutch chicken corn soup, stuffed cabbage, beef pot pie,and corn fritters were wonderful tummy fillers, I often try to replicate. Chicken Corn Soup, I have mastered. StuffedCabbage … Continue reading →

Here during Christmas time, my dearest canine friend died. Trudy was over 15 and one half years old and with me all those years. As I shared here before, she brought me through my own battle with cancer years ago … Continue reading →

Remember that question when you were a child, riding in a car with no idea of where you were going or when you would arrive? Remember your own children asking that question or even a friend who was riding with … Continue reading →