The class of ’65 gathered again this year. We bring along year books and reunion pictures and spend the day laughing as the years fall away. We started getting together every year when we lost two friends to cancer. It reminded all of us how time can get away from us, and friendship is important. …
Every year, toward the end of July, I become nostalgic and a little depressed. In years past, I’d be gearing up for the scenic drive north to visit my parents in Brookings, Oregon – with my three children in tow and plans to arrive on Mom’s August 3 birthday. Mom always had a jar full …
My brother and sister-in-law live on sixteen acres in gorgeous Northern California. The closest town has a population of less than five thousand. After once through town with its “hemp store”, I now take the scenic highway west — two very narrow lanes of windy, hilly, tree-lined road. As if ten miles weren’t far enough …
I just received an ARC (advanced readers’ copy) of the second half of Marta’s Legacy. The cover is gorgeous! This book continues Marta and Hildemara’s stories and brings in the next two generations — Carolyn and May Flower Dawn, whose lives span the 50s to present day. This half of Marta’s Legacy will reveal the …
Certain foods bring back wonderful family memories of dinners. Grandma Wulff always fixed “More” when I visited her at the farm. The recipe calls for sautéed onions, browned ground beef, cooked elbow pasta, corn, peas, chopped tomatoes and tomato sauce and spices all mixed together and then topped with cheese (or ketchup). My brother …
Rick and I returned a few weeks ago from three weeks in Europe, two in France traveling by boat up the Rhone River, by bus to Paris and then another boat on the Seine. The land through which my grandmother traveled is much like Sonoma County, California where we live – though California lacks the …
We all have our favorite places in the world. Home is number one. Whenever Rick and I travel, we love seeing new places and meeting new people. But within two to three weeks, we’re hankering for home, missing our own bed, living room, kitchen – and, of course, family. Then, within a few weeks, we’re …
I ran into this problem when Rick’s birthday rolled around this year. After 40 years together, I couldn’t think of one thing he wanted or needed. When I asked him what he would like for his birthday, he shrugged. Neither of us needs more “stuff”. He reads several books a week. So who is to …
I’ve been thinking about all the pets I’ve had over the years – dogs and cats. They become a part of the family. We’ll have quite a menagerie when we get to Heaven. The first family dog I remember is Dusty, a female German Shepherd who rode herd on me when I was preschool age. …
Hauntingly beautiful, Her Daughter’s Dream explores the bonds of love between four generations of mothers and daughters. Francine Rivers holds nothing back in often fragile, always emotional, and sometimes explosive relationships between Marta, Hildemara, Carolyn, and Dawn. Decisions are based on past hurts, and emotional scars separate mother and daughter. Peeling back the emotional layers …