>A couple of weeks ago, Dave brought two garbage bags full of pears into the house. We have a pear tree that we planted at least twenty--maybe more like thirty--years ago. The most pears we had ever gotten off it previously was one year when it bore three measley pears.When Dave brought the pears to … Continue reading >Canning

>It's that time of year when thousands of apparently sane people take leave of their senses and their regular schedules to devote themselves to writing a novel in one month.You can read more about the NaNoWriMo craziness on this website.And, yes, I'll be participating for the third year, writing my third novel.See you in December.

>When it comes to the book I am writing on early infant loss, I have a paradoxical perspective.I still optimistically believe it is possible to finish this month. At the same time, I realistically recognize the sheer improbability of that. My optimism is rooted in proof. Repeatedly in my past, God has enabled me to … Continue reading >Paradoxical Perspective

>For meal time devotions, we recently finished reading Revelation and would have continued our regular practice of reading straight through the Bible by beginning again in Genesis. But, much as I love the story of creation, I just didn't want to confront the fall of mankind during the gray days of winter. I felt that, … Continue reading >Comfort Scripture

>Until We Reach Home by Lynn AustinBethany House Publishers; paperback; 428 pages © 2008In Until We Reach Home, Christy Award winning author Lynn Austin has created another page turner peopled with believable characters experiencing authentic conflict in realistic settings.The reader comes to know and care deeply about Swedish sisters Erin, Kirsten, and Sofia as they … Continue reading >Until We Reach Home: A Book Review

>A Yorky-poo puppy named Libby shares my days.I suppose I could say, “I own a puppy,” or “I have a puppy,” but saying she “shares my days” more accurately reflects reality.She often gets me up from my chair, she frequently gets me out through the door, and she often gets me thinking throughout the day.Sometimes … Continue reading >Puppy Love

>When I drive down our road, I can see the the varied green of the woods now has distinct definitions of color as the leaves of individual trees begin to change. There are no golds or rusts yet, but various greens are now tinged with yellow and pink and brown. Many leaves of the maple … Continue reading >Flame Maple

>Considering the projects that confront me over the next two months has led me to adopt a new writing schedule: fiction manuscripts and non-fiction book commitment in the morning, income-generating work in the afternoon, and volunteer work and homemaking in the evenings.Will it work? We shall see.

>The House failed this morning to pass the President's $700 billion bail out. Some people I talk to think it is a lesser evil that must be done, sort of like voting for McCain this fall. Others can't understand why the government must bail out private businesses that have made poor financial choices. I think … Continue reading >Fun Financial Times

>Gallus cantavitIn dawn’s soft colorsand still air,the remote crowof a distant roosterechoes in my earas a poignant reminderof multiple transgressionsand endless grace.© 2008 Glenda Mathes