Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Whacky Wednesday—T’is the Season, and the packages are piling high! Instead of giving more collectibles to dust, more whatsits to clean or wear, or calories that go to waist, I’m giving gifts that keep on giving this year.  The joy is in connecting the gift to the heart of the recipient. My son began playing soccer …

When the temperature drops and the leaves turn red and gold, I think Thanksgiving—family and friends round the table, good food, recounting our blessings by a warm fire, and thanking the One from Whom all those blessings flow.  What a gift there is in Thanksgiving! One of my family’s favorite recipes was also the favorite of Colonel Wakefield, a character …

I feel this week as though we’ve fallen down a rabbit-hole, much like Alice’s, into a world—a country—turned upside down.  Suddenly, in place of the family honored since the beginning of time, laws in some states—including my own—have changed the very definition of marriage and family.  Gambling has been legally increased as a way to stimulate revenue, and in some …

This first November Sunday, the Sunday nearest All Saints Day, churches across our land will hold special services to remember and honor loved ones who finished this life within the last year. In our church, the names of members are called, their photographs shown.  And then the aisles fill.  As hymns are sung by the congregation, all who’ve lost loved …