Well, with the Christmas carols playing, what is your Christmas wish? I wish for my dad to be okay and for a chance to meet granddaughter Chloe. For you – maybe it is toilet paper! Maybe it is a job to return to, or insurance that outlasts the stay-at-home orders. Maybe it is for the economy to recover, so your retirement fund lasts. Or maybe it is simpler. To better appreciate each day as a gift. To have a chance to slow down and appreciate nature. To see a movie. To

Is anyone else out there having trouble keeping up with what day it is? There's not the weekly meeting or lunch out with coworkers. One day kind of looks like the last, which will look like tomorrow. It is almost like being up in the middle of the night – little noises are scary, annoyances are amplified, worries and realities explode, temperatures elevate and your dreams blend facts and fiction in confusing ways. Reach out in those moments. The person on the other end may

I had forgotten. I had forgotten how similar pets can be to cooped up children! They wait until you are the phone, to start begging, to play or to eat or to just get some attention. They're content to be alone, doing their own things – until they are not, with no warning! Much of what used to be one-on-one visits are now phone calls. So, if you call me, to chat, or pray or tell me what your biggest challenge is on this day and you hear a ball drop, or whining – forgive t

I have always said "I don't take roll" at worship. And I don't! But no matter the size of the congregation, many have "their spot," their pew or their favorite seat. The first time I recorded a sermon for you, it was strange, and somewhat difficult. How do you preach to a congregation that is not with you? How do you interact with people who are not there? Well, first, I pictured some of you as being there. Back row, pulpit side, third row, organ side, etc. Then I reca

It is ironic, isn't it? You may or may not be a hugger. You may or may not appreciate small talk. You might even be an introvert who recharges through alone-time. But it is ironic. Now that we know the critical importance of social distancing, we long for personal contact. Now that we are not together on a regular basis, we become curious how others are doing. And how much alone time can even an introvert take? No, it is not the same – but pick up the phone and chat wi

On a recent walk, I passed a house that I had always thought "overdid" the decorating at holiday times. You know – multiple inflatables, trees and bushes decorated, etc. But as I passed by a smiled. First, I saw a Bunny, then a garland of eggs. When I saw plastic eggs scattered through the yard, something shifted. With all the uncertainty and restrictions, here is someone who is looking forward … looking forward to Easter, however they celebrate it! At St. James, our fi

I have always been a deadline person. As a newspaper reporter, deadlines came and went, whether I had something to contribute or not. In public relations, deadlines existed even when I thought I was the only one following them! Lately – my deadlines are more of a moving target! In order to give you a link for worship – I finish a sermon 5 days in advance, and we tape three days in advance. The day we video(ed) Good Friday, we planned details of Easter, still 9 days away.

I had a day off yesterday, and decided to scrapbook for my sister and nieces from an upstairs room, since John's "office" is downstairs. At one point I heard laughter, and looked out the window. Three adolescent young men were coming down the road – six feet – apart – and I smiled. To see folks that young who understood social distancing! As I continued to watch, one tackled the other in the grass and they began to wrestle. I am hoping they were brothers from the same hous