Do you have traditions to mark the change from one year to the next? I have a friend who opens the back door at midnight to let the old year out, then opens the front door to let the new one in. This must have come along with her English heritage, as it's an abbreviated form of an older custom. I think it's a charming idea. Last year…
“(There's no place like) Home for the Holidays” is an upbeat song... and a pleasant sentiment. But sometimes those words stir a longing for something that cannot be—at least not this year. In this post, we’ll explore the concept of “home” and what it can mean, even when it doesn’t match up to the pictures on Christmas cards. We’ll begin by considering a couple other songs that waft…
Greetings, blog subscribers! As summer approaches, many of us look forward to a lighter schedule or perhaps some vacation time. At my house, this school year has been a full one. Although we have continued to process the losses of last year (having lost two parents), most of this year’s changes have been positive ones. We’ve also had a clear reminder that new ventures—even exciting ones—involve information-gathering, a…
I previously wrote about how, shortly after my mother’s death, I had happened upon a craft fair and purchased a tree of life necklace. That ancient symbol has so many meanings that I chose to address it in general terms first, then write a second post to focus specifically on what the Scriptures have to say. As I first slipped the pendant around my neck, biblical passages in…