Author Archives: joyocala

Tomorrow is our anniversary. It was 54 years ago on a cold, snowy evening that we “tied the knot” and began this journey together. So many memories – good, bad, and crazy. As December 25th fast approaches I am reminded … Continue reading →

Fall andWinter, Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas and New Year ahead, this can certainly tend to be a busy time of the year for so many of us. What do your days look like? Are you someone who packs their calendar full … Continue reading →

In response to a parishioner saying that tithing was outdated and was only an Old Testament idea and nowhere to be found in the New Testament, I once heard a pastor say, “You’re right. In the New Testament it says … Continue reading →

This year, I had my Advent gifts wrapped and sent before Advent began. It must have been a first! Each day in Advent, I give my two grand daughters an Advent gift. The gifts act like an Advent calendar. This … Continue reading →

What’s Advent without singing “O Come, O Come, Emanuel?”   O come, O come, Immanuel, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. I am intrigued by the expression “that mourns in … Continue reading →

Last Saturday the Ocala Symphony Orchestra and Chorus performed Handel’s Messiah. I have heard the Messiah many times in at least seven different cities, but this may have been the most memorable and moving time. It was a perfect way … Continue reading →

The grammar nerd strikes again! He is accompanied by his sidekick, the Oxford comma! Together they make minds go crazy; cognition becomes dissonant, resulting in a blurring, blinding headache, followed by groans of agony, vowel combinations churning in the intestinal … Continue reading →

Walk with me through the snowy Swedish countryside. Follow the lane, as daylight fades and stars begin to twinkle. In the distance candlelight flickers in the windows of the old country church. Walk on in the starlit darkness for soon … Continue reading →

My great, great aunt worked sixty years (1932-1992) at Bowman’s Department Store in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. She was a buyer in the foundations department. Foundations is a term that referred to ladies’ undergarments, such as corsets, girdles etc., apparel to create … Continue reading →

It had been a wonderful Thanksgiving at my daughter’s home. Having sufficiently overeaten, our extended family was now settled: the men parked in front of the TV for football, the women chatting on the lanai. At one point Amy headed … Continue reading →