The experience of remodeling a home while keeping up its normal operation can be stressful. Scheduling mealtimes, comings and goings, and discovering the need for unexpected repairs are just a few...

When I was young I wanted to join the Army. Later, I decided to become a college professor. Then, after starting a family, I decided to teach high school. But I...

Following years of declining health, Daddy’s death was not unexpected, but it felt like the earth had shifted under my feet. I felt as if I were no longer standing on...

I sometimes think that if I could live my life again, I’d be an ophthalmic surgeon. What joy to be the means of enabling a physically blind person to see! I...

Every Sunday our church sends a team of people to a local park with a hot meal to share with those who are hungry. Although I am part of that team,...

As morning dawned over the hills, my wife, Laura, and 
I reached the trailhead and began our hike to Ramona Falls in the Mount Hood Wilderness area of Oregon. Halfway to...

As I was picking blueberries one July morning, I watched the heavily laden branches of fruit spring up little by little as the plump, juicy berries were removed. “Ahhh!” the bush...

One sunny day my sister and I went to an artisans’ fair to sell our hand-painted gourds. We took turns staffing the booth and alternated lunch breaks. When I returned from...

As I arrived at church one Sunday, I congratulated myself for being on time for service and for praying for those I saw along my drive walking or running instead of...

For many years I have wondered, What is my mission in life? I am a retired police homicide detective. My career was cut short because of a stroke that left me...