“The Herdmans were the worst children in the history of the world!” And we begin to believe it when we see the way that the five scraggly, rough-and-tumble, self-chaperoned Herdman children highjack a perfectly good church Christmas pageant. The very idea of combining the Herdmans and Sunday School is enough to make any self-respecting church […]

He didn’t really intend to, but he preached hope to me when he called. My big brother with his big hat and his big mustache and his big, hope-filled heart.   He called to tell me about a day when he had a need that exceeded his resources. And how he just said, “Lord, you […]

When the call from the doctor came I prayed that split second petition one more time, “Prepare my heart for the words I’m about to hear.” And then I sat down to write the long medical words so I would get them straight. Cirrhosis is not even mentioned in the report. No indication of fibrosis. Mild inflammation. Schedule a […]

I love my screened porch, especially in the mornings. Because our lot is next to a green belt that follows a creek bed, I look out into a forest of tall pines, old live oaks and a few flowering baskets. With the fans going, the porch was almost cool enough (well, anyway it was “not too hot” for […]