First, you decide if you are going to let your years or your abilities limit you. Life is a balancing act between constraining limitations and endless possibilities. There are some precocious babies, bright and winsome but they won’t be talking to their parents at six months. …

The older I get, the harder it becomes to find role models — I’ve broken the 10th commandment that forbids covetousness. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house … or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. (Exodus 20:17, NIV) Although I’m uninterested in my neighbors’ houses or donkeys, one neighbor has some valuable things I crave. It’s hard to avoid envy…

Holding on to redundant situations keeps us from reaching out While I was watering and feeding the ochre plants, I saw the drooping patch of mint. Water and plant feed have not delayed its prompt response to the call of Fall. The leaves are falling. No more mint for my…

We do not care enough — Photo by Robert Linder on Unsplash Last Saturday, I sat with Martha, an elderly friend for twelve hours in the Emergency Room of her local hospital in Tennessee. Regrettably, some folks, who were there when we arrived, were still waiting when we left. She had her blood pressure and pulse…

Saying you don’t need others is talking like hot air — The thermometer read ninety- four degrees. I turned down the thermostat, concerned about the comfort of my huskie. The next morning, damp floors confirmed that we had a problem despite a routine maintenance check three months ago. I feel guilty moaning about the inconvenience of my failed cooling system when…

You have several options, but there is one thing you must not do when God turns the lock — The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in. (Genesis 7:16, NIV) I remember my Sunday school days. This song about Noah’s Ark was one of my favorites. The Animals Marched in Two by Two. Sung…

She disrupted my assumptions — Some secrets shatter family members forever when told. Others destroy our assumptions. Last week, during my sisters’ visit, I realized that siblings can experience childhood differently. I always assumed that they were compliant with the rigid, religious regime of our parents . When one sister talked about her childhood to…

Dan Foster, a contributor to the Backyard Church closed his article on final goodbyes with this line: “Do not save for tomorrow what needs to be said today.” Tomorrow, I’m meeting with friends to share our memories of a gracious lady. …

Is it because it is related to aging? — I sat beside Edith, a nonagenarian in Church. I envied her outfit and sense of style. Her close friends were missing. One became housebound many months ago, and the other has just died. Saying goodbye to our friends as a young- person is numbingly sad, but the relentless demands of…