Under my Christmas tree you will generally find at least one book wrapped up for each child and grandchild. Not my books. They can have one of those any time they want, but while a few of them do read my books, others in the family have different reading tastes or might not be old enough for a book without …
The Spirit of Generosity
The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of love and of generosity and of goodness. It illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than in things. (Thomas S. Monson) On Wednesday’s post here, I shared a beautiful story of how Barbara and her co-workers made …
The Blessing of Giving
“For it is in giving that we receive.” (St. Francis of Assisi) As most of you know I’ve got a Christmas giveaway going. You can check out the prizes and how to enter on my News & Events Page. I invited those who wanted to enter to share about the best gift they’d ever received as a child or the …
What Makes a Thanksgiving Dinner for You?
“My most memorable meal is every Thanksgiving. I love the food: the turkey and stuffing; the sweet potatoes and rice, which come from my mother’s Southern heritage; the mashed potatoes, which come from my wife’s Midwestern roots; the Campbell’s green-bean casserole; and of course, pumpkin pie.” (Douglas Conant) We had our annual pot luck Thanksgiving dinner at church tonight. And …
Do You Love Christmas Stories?
Tonight I’ve turned my blog over to Rose Allen McCauley to bring you a little early Christmas spirit. Rose has plenty to give. She is one of the most generous people you are ever likely to meet. She’s been writing for over ten years and has four books out now. Christmas books are her favorites, so she is happy to have …
The Elusive Perfect Leaf
Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence. ~Vince Lombardi This fall while I was walking in my fields here on the farm, I decided to find a perfect leaf. I looked for one that had turned a lovely autumn color of red or orange or bright yellow. I wanted to take a picture of …
What are Your Everyday Blessings?
“Blessings only come to those who notice.” We have a thanksgiving and praise time every week at our little church where we can mention reasons we are thankful. The reasons don’t have to be something big or fantastic. They can simply be everyday blessings remembered by a grateful heart. A recent list mentioned children and someone giving someone a ride …
Merry Heart Sundays
A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. (Proverbs 17:22 NKJ) Usually when I repeat the above Bible verse, I just say the first part of the verse. I like thinking about the good medicine of smiles and laughter, but it’s not as good thinking about those with broken spirits and sadness in their …
A Writing Vacation
I invited a writer friend over to share her preparation for vacation. Here’s what Kristy writes. Morning! If you saw my bags right now, you’d think I was going on a business trip. I made my list yesterday and it looked a little like this: * Chargers (Kindle, Phone, car, download cord for camera) * Laptop and accessories. * Folders …
Sweet Amber Dog
It’s taken me a few weeks before I could write about sweet dog, Amber. Even now it makes me sad that the little dog’s life ended too soon. My granddaughter got Amber for her birthday a few years ago. She was a rescue dog. A miniature wire-haired dachshund. Maybe full bred. Maybe with a little something else mixed in. She …







