>As the morning sun blesses the treetops, the honeysuckle outside my office window remains in shadow. Bare branches tremble as a sparrow flits among them and plucks a red berry from a green-leafed branch. From the firepit in our backyard, the honeysuckle looks full of green leaves. From the flower garden in our front yard, … Continue reading >Honeysuckle

>Not long ago, Dave and I watched the DVD of The Count of Monte Cristo, and ever since I've been wanting to read the novel. I saw glimmerings of a Christian perspective on forgiveness in the movie and wondered if that perspective might be more visible in the novel.I picked up an old copy from … Continue reading >Count of Monte Cristo – 1

>Today began satisfyingly with devotions on the deck, followed by an hour-long walk.It’s so humid that the seat of my shorts became clammy from the damp deck bench. There was so much pollen hanging in the hollow where the road crosses our creek that I felt as if I were breathing syrup. And, even though … Continue reading >Walking

>My recent reading includes Iowa Letters, a volume of correspondence between Dutch immigrants and their friends who remained in the Netherlands.Having four grandparents who emigrated from the Netherlands and having lived within the Pella Dutch community all my life, I found the collection fascinating. But the appeal of these letters transcends biological or geographical ties. … Continue reading >Iowa Letters

>Last night Dave and I stayed up too late watching Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in our frequently-viewed copy of the original black and white Casablanca. We've watched the color-enhanced version, but we feel the colors detract from the artistic use of shadow and light that makes the original so marvelous. Of course, the acting … Continue reading >Casablanca

>Uni-ball makes this fabulous line of pens called "Vision Elite" that I've been using for some time. But yesterday, while I was browsing through Staples on my afternoon of vacation to celebrate the summer solstice, I discovered them in "Super Fine"! Every time I used my earlier version, I thought: "This is a wonderful pen, … Continue reading >Vision

>The first day of summer is one of my favorite days of the year. My love for the light was reinforced this morning as I enjoyed a devotional by Chris Donato that appeared in the April 2005 issue of Tabletalk by Ligonier Ministries.In "The Lord of Light and Love," Donato talks about the misconception of … Continue reading >Summer Solstice

>Having finally bitten the blogging bullet, I gingerly enter cyberealm.My reluctance has been due to two primary factors: intimidation and presumption.Scanning existing blogs has done little to encourage me and much to intimidate me. Many are written by extremely intelligent and articulate writers. Reading them, I am overwhelmed by my own lack of wit and … Continue reading >Advent