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Been there, Done that in the dining halls of America. I have tasted: jellyfish – tasteless rubber; turtle soup and alligator each rated a shrug. We have eaten outside on brightly lit patios and inside cozy rooms so dark we needed a flashlight to see the menu. One highly praised meal required a drive deep…

When it comes to the most heinous criminals, many say. “Lock’em up and throw away the key.” Few talk about God’s judgment of such actions. In Matthew 25:34-40 Jesus said those who followed Him will be blessed because they gave Him food, water, clothes and help and visited Him in prison.The blessed wondered, “When did…

The first grade Sunday School teacher obviously had not prepared to teach. She flipped through the Bible story book looking for a story. With a lackadaisical shrug, she began a four sentence lesson about Jesus walking on the water. Then she transitioned so quickly to the conclusion that I have no idea how she reached…

“It was the sacred spoon,” explained the poster on the Dull Men’s Club Facebook page. He meant his family’s favorite cooking spoon. It was a large plastic spoon used in stirring many dishes. Everyone found it far superior to any other spoon. No one wanted to cook with any other spoon. They all wanted that…

Every time I opened the refrigerator drawer, the brown paper sack whispered, “The Northern Spy apples inside are ready to make a pie.” “I know, I know. Soon.”Finally I retrieved the bag and spent half an hour scraping the thin skin off the apples, coring, slicing and mixing sugar and spices before popping it in…

Every presidential museum we visit informs and impresses me. Recently we visited both President George Bush libraries in Texas. Both libraries reside on college campuses. Both presidents and their wives worked to improve education and reading levels. A nation that reads more, knows more. Or as George Bush (43rd president) said, “Reading is a new…

Sweet little old ladies with hand guns scare me. I encountered my first sweet little old lady with a handgun several years ago.  In the midst of our pleasant conversation this retiree with a childlike voice said, “After hearing about hoodlums threatening folks in the parking lots and stores, I got a gun and put…

Some days toddlers cry and whine so miserably that nothing soothes or comforts except maybe their special blankie. We didn’t have blankies, we had sulkies. The name sprung up when two of my then toddlers found comfort in the soft, silky material of my nightgowns or slips.Our youngest stroked her cheek with any silky, soft…

It was one of those not quite okay days for Shirley Heeg. As she said, “I fumbled around for days with an essay. I had one purpose in mind, but learned that was not an option. I revised it. Submitted it. Regretted that decision and withdrew it. I questioned myself and lacked direction. Inwardly I…

Finding the stray pennies, nickels and dimes our young hosts had dumped on counters, windowsills, end tables or any flat surface amused us one weekend many years ago. We scooped up the coins and dropped them into an unused fish bowl without comment. Obviously the young couple did not worry about their loose change. But…

The idea of standing out of the crowd with firm convictions sounds scary to me. Yet, reading about those who stand firm always catches my attention.From the school library I read the biography of Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, a Hungarian physician and scientist. He agonized over the high death rate of new mothers on the hospital…

I anticipate the day after any holiday: Valentine’s Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas. I like to shop and Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan’s Purse provides the perfect excuse. At midnight the starter gun sounds for 50, 75 and hopefully, eventually, 90 percent off sales. I begin looking for multiple items to fill the OCC…

Family get-togethers can be interesting. We gather from central Michigan to southern Arkansas, from Missouri to Pennsylvania. They come from heavily populated industrial areas and little communities in the big forest. We gather with diverse differences, especially in the kitchen. Beforehand a joint text went out asking who wants to be in charge of which…

Trees cover the steep hills around our dairy farm and surround the hamlet where we worshipped in a little white church with a tall steeple covering a bell. Initially that bell only rang for worship services. Outside of church times, its clanging signaled volunteers to dash to the fire station. By the time I reached…