Author Archives: joyocala

While brainstorming ideas for upcoming blogs, my son Seth volunteered the following: “We need more kindness, Mom. We need to live the Word, not just talk about it. We need to set our own personal example of good behavior and … Continue reading →

I was watching YouTube videos of the old TV program, I’ve Got a Secret. (You have to do something that’s fun in retirement.) One elderly gentleman’s secret was that as a little boy he had been present at the assassination … Continue reading →

One Saturday morning I was watching the Saturday Today Show, and they interviewed Jonelle Monáe. I didn’t recognize who she was until they mentioned that she had appeared in the movie “Hidden Figures”; as a math nerd I had enjoyed … Continue reading →

My father was an elementary school principal back before the days of automated data systems and computers. He would be the one to get a call from one of his teachers saying they were sick and couldn’t come in. He … Continue reading →

I just came from the supermarket. I wanted some asparagus, but it was “old and tired.” Just a little too droopy to bring home for dinner. So here I am, home in my cozy office. Come to think of it, … Continue reading →

I remember my Confirmation days so well because they were every Saturday for two years. Really? Give up our Saturdays? Yes, we did. The bonuses were we learned, we bonded, we studied, we survived. Our Luther League Youth Group was … Continue reading →

I am SO angry! While we were gone, the landscapers cut a full foot off the top of my privacy hedge, the bushes that I planted with sweat and muscle, nurtured with water and fertilizer, watched and marveled as they … Continue reading →

I don’t pretend to understand all the events and happenings in the second book of Samuel. There are a lot of incidents that I would describe as extremely inappropriate behavior. However, in the end, God vanquished all of David’s enemies … Continue reading →

My philosophy students hated my assignments of readings from anthologies, collections of writings by various authors. I thought it was important that they read what philosophers actually said, rather than depend on my interpretation of them. I also felt that … Continue reading →

When our nephew Jake was five years old he started playing soccer, and Paulette and I tried to see as many of his games as we could. One time we were late, and the game had already started. We could … Continue reading →