Definition: Aftershocks are earthquakes that follow the largest shock in an earthquake sequence. They are smaller than the mainshock and within 1-2 rupture lengths distance from the mainshock. Aftershocks can continue over a period of weeks, months, or years. But 115 years? My husband David and I work with my brother and sister at a location far from San Francisco, California. The sandy… Continue reading Far-Reaching Aftershocks
A Christmas Cry Out
Christmas Day. Fresh, white snow covers our wooded acreage and below freezing temperatures test the limits of water pipes and car batteries. Christmas Day. Not all hearts on this day have the “Holly Jolly” of the world’s empty jingles. Hope came to many of us when the Savior was born in our hearts. Miracles continue… Continue reading A Christmas Cry Out
Resolutions or Resolve
“Our gift of easy utterance may prevent our doing the things we say.” –Oswald Chambers Once upon a time, reading from the book of Proverbs to match the date (It has 31 chapters.) had been a discipline of mine. Halfway through December, feeling a bit of heaviness settling on my spirit, I picked it up… Continue reading Resolutions or Resolve
Surprising Contentment
No timer reminded me. I could feel the afternoon disappearing and imagine the buses lining up at the school where our children spent their days. “What’s for supper?” topped my mental list as I thought through the late afternoon and evening to come. Feeding six kids and two adults always challenged me; we had some… Continue reading Surprising Contentment
Sincerely Wrong
It seemed funny to me at first. I had made several laps at the fitness center and noticed that the others were going the wrong way. On the first day of “The Right Weigh” program, I had asked which direction to take on the track. “Clockwise,” was the response. I was sure I was right.… Continue reading Sincerely Wrong
What’s in a Name?
Lizetta. Misspelled and mispronounced most of her life, this unusual name never became endeared by its owner–but hundreds of us love it because of the person who bore it. Not stopping with Lizetta, Grandma gave her two more names giving her daughter quite a handle: Lizetta Ida Henrietta! The name “Lizetta” came from a grandmother:… Continue reading What’s in a Name?
On the Edge
History will record the well-worn unprecedented as the word for 2020. January of 2021 claims it also. We find ourselves “on edge” as we are on the edge of an unknown new year. Adrenalin rises (as does our blood pressure) while watching newscasts or surveying our own uncertain situations. Long ago and far away others… Continue reading On the Edge
A Letter to My Younger Self
Dear Becky, So…you have just turned 12 in the spring of 1961. School in the fall will place you in 7th grade! Changing up a bit, you’ll have more teachers who will rotate from class to class. Still you will have the bus rides and the stack of books to haul back and forth. You… Continue reading A Letter to My Younger Self
Pop: The Practicing Preacher
With a few changes in verb tense from present to past, here’s an essay I wrote way back while studying at Moody Bible Institute. Dad went to be with the Lord in February of 2002. Happy Father’s Day to his sons, grandsons, great grandsons (many of whom didn’t get to know him) and to the… Continue reading Pop: The Practicing Preacher
Finding the Pause Button
Once upon a time when our children were young, daughter Amy would go to sleep with music on her cassette tape player (maybe I should add “long ago” to that opening line–who even remembers those devices?). One evening she heard me come up the stairs before she had fallen asleep. “Mom,” she called. When I… Continue reading Finding the Pause Button