The bluebonnets are blooming this week. The roadsides are thick with them. I felt compelled to get Little One out in them to take his picture. Normally, I would have been hesitant (to say the least) to let my three-year-old frolic beside a busy road, but the blue beauty so captivated us that we hardly noticed […]
“The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 I was hesitant to go to Australia. Please don’t gasp and call me ungrateful. Label me, instead, with the […]
Winter battled with spring this month. Sleet bowed my daffodils’ heads just as they donned their yellow bonnets. The delicate pear blossoms froze, along with my Texas tulips. Nevertheless, spring is now victorious! The perennials are waking up everywhere, with fresh green foliage and the promise of beautiful flowers. The following is a list of […]
Some stories end with a moral, but I should begin mine with one: Always be willing to read/edit a book your friend or loved one has written. I read my father-in-law’s novel, set in Tasmania, over a year ago, and because of our literary bond, he decided to take me (along with my husband and […]
Snuggled beside my grandmother, I would listen, mesmerized, as the black and white tigers on the page raced round and round a tree until they just melted . . . into butter! Do you remember this story? Written by Helen Bannerman, it was first published under a different title in 1899. The black and white pictures […]
Here are some of the things my PawPaw taught me: Never go to bed angry. He told me he and Grammy sometimes stayed up all night, but they never broke this rule. Working crossword puzzles keeps the mind sharp. Get a job! This was his advice to me when I went to college. He said […]
My beloved grandfather passed away in his cozy bedroom yesterday morning. I have been given the honor of writing this great man’s eulogy, so I thought I’d let him blog for me today. This is an e-mail my grandfather wrote to our family about three years ago. The Carol he speaks of is my loving grandmother. (I […]
The flurries earlier this month are giving way to snowy pear blossoms. Although the calendar doesn’t reflect it, Texas is kicking off her winter blanket in exchange for spring’s multi-hued quilt. The following is a list of blooms, both literal and figurative, in my garden this month. * Beef stew and tulips, carried in loving arms, through […]
“Many waters cannot quench love . . . .” —Song of Solomon 8:7 (NKJV) * “Valentine’s Day at the Laundromat,” my aunt’s folksong hums from the CD player, and though I’m not literally in a laundromat on this day of love, the dryer is rumbling in the background. I started a load of laundry after […]
A friend who teaches preschool shared with me her method for correcting misbehaving children. Every morning, before the school day begins, she hugs them. Over time, because they feel loved, their behavior improves. Those children remind me of myself. After almost fourteen years of marriage, my husband has learned that when I’m acting the grumpiest, […]
A Children's Book World 