“Mrs. Smith, we need to see Johnny in the principal’s office please.” Words like these are usually uttered in a stern tone and send fear into the heart of many elementary students every year. I think it is interesting that we teach children to remember the difference in “principal” and “principle” is that the one ending with “pal” is the person at your school and yet no one wants to be called to their “pal’s” office! Well, let me tell you, it doesn’t feel any better as an adult! Now, anyone who knows me well knows how much I respect my principal. She is caring, professional, supportive, and kind. She…

Imagine knowing you have wanted to find someone for years–even decades–only to be brought together by coronavirus. That actually happened to two women in Nebraska recently. They were sisters, but had been separated for over 50 years. Sisters by the same father, but not the same mother, they both knew each other existed, but could not find contact information. The older, now 73, contracted coronavirus and suffered a fall in her weakness, breaking an arm. She had to go to a nursing home for at least part of her recovery. The younger, 53, works as a medication aide at that exact nursing home. When she looked over the patient list,…

Recently, a group of my “besties” and I enjoyed a girls night at a business that has somehow convinced people to pay to work! We went to a venue where you preselect the project of your choice and, once there, you do all the work. Well, at least some of the work. You sand, distress, stain, paint, drill, and decorate. So why would people pay to do all of that? It’s because it is all prepared. The boards are already cut to the right length. The holes are marked and pre-drilled. The design is created on a stencil and the guesswork is taken out of the stain and paint colors.…

Recently, I heard an interview with a man who had written about the period of time during which thirteen English colonies in North America fought for the right to be free from the domination of England. During that interview, the historian used a phrase and introduced (at least to me) a concept I had never really considered. He said that we read the history of that time with “a sense of inevitability.”   The historian went on to explain what he meant by that phrase. From our vantage point, we have the luxury of looking back on those events. We now know that those thirteen colonies did, indeed, win that war and that they ultimately became…

Does anyone else remember when “all this” (as people keep saying in the South) was only supposed to last about 2-3 weeks so we could “flatten the curve?” That was in late March! Frustration is building in so many places, and, in most cases, for good reason. From politics to jobs to sports to school and beyond, decisions have had to be made, changed, updated, and cancelled. It is frustrating to know what we are to do or not do, almost on a daily basis. But in the midst of all this, leaders of churches–elders in the Lord’s Church–have had to do things they never dreamed they would have to…