Musings

By Myrna Conrad How often each day do you take the time to say “thank you” to someone? Did you take the time to thank your spouse today? Did you find something to thank your children for? When was the last time you thanked your supervisor, fellow employees, or those...

By Pastor John Skiles, Guest Columnist I love to wear t-shirts that say, “I love my Church!” I think I own about four with that particular phrase and the logo of my church on it. But I want to kick off my writings by saying, “I love your church, too!” Let...

By Dave Saviola The average camel is over six feet tall and weighs around 1,500 pounds. That is a pretty large animal. Have you ever seen one walk through an eye of a needle? Didn’t think so. In fact, you probably think I’m a bit crazy for asking. Well, it turns...

By Myrna Conrad We all want to be shown respect. Do you remember when people used to say “yes sir/yes ma’am” or “no sir/no ma’am?” Do you remember when people got up and gave an older person their seat if there were no more seats available, opened doors for people, or...

By Lauren Catanese I have found that most answers to our troubles can be found in nature. Nature’s storms are like our struggles. They are the storms we experience. Struggling is a part of life. It’s when we struggle that we learn the most about life, ourselves, and those around...

By Sean Dietrich Do you remember when we met? I do. It was a Barnes and Noble bookstore. I was reading; you were with friends. You waltzed through the door with that determined walk you have. That I-can-take-care-of-myself walk. There are some things a man never forgets. You wore a baby-blue sweater. Your...

By Dave Holland Jonie danced into my life 14 years ago. Emblazoned in my mind’s eye is the picture of her bouncing into Poncho’s Mexican Restaurant for our first date. We met online through a dating service, but none of that prepared me for the whirlwind that blew into my...

By Dave Holland Miss Judith was an older schoolteacher in the 1930s, when it was believed that a woman’s place was at home with her family. In her youth she had a few suitors vie for her affections, but she never really felt loved, so she never married. Her fifth-grade grammar...

By Sean Dietrich CRACKER BARREL—I am eating breakfast with a cute date. My date is a baby. A fat baby. She is my niece, Lucy. I love fat babies. They do something to me. They make me feel like the world is warm and squishy. When I hold Lucy, I feel...

By Pastor Dave Holland Gently falling snow paved my walk to our village church on Christmas Eve so long ago. We lived a few blocks from the church I pastored in that small New England town and I expected the Light of the World to visit us as we celebrated...