I collect quotes.  I have notebooks full of them.  Some are from ordinary people, others from famous personages.  I never know when I’ll run across a gem, so I carry a note pad in my purse.  Not long ago I happened on a small book of quotes by Winston Churchill.  Here are a few of my favorites: “Nourish your hopes, but do not overlook realities.” “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”  “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile – hoping it will eat him last.” “As long as the job is Continue Reading

Rick and I sat in pjs on Sunday, reminiscing about our dads and giving thanks for them.  Rick’s father, William Richard Rivers, weathered many storms. Passed from relative to relative, he and his three brothers worked fields while their father, a merchant marine, was out to sea.  When the Depression hit, and all his savings disappeared along with his hopes for a college education, Dad rode the rails to California.  Everything except the pants he wore was stolen one night while he slept.  The Salvation Army gave him what he needed, along with work to get him started. Continue Reading

Rick and I knew when we purchased our home that we were in the flight path for the local airport.  It’s a small airport and less than a dozen flights a day, not all of which fly overhead.  Aviation is in my husband’s blood.  He ran his own aviation business for twenty-five years before retiring.  So, we were delighted to be in the flight path.  We enjoy watching small private planes as well as jets fly overhead. We didn’t expect the added blessing of being in the flight path to the Laguna de Santa Rosa.  Every morning, we hear the honking of geese heading Continue Reading

Our local newspaper is running articles about states passing “draconian anti-abortion laws” – pushing the panic button that women will have no rights, their bodies “kidnapped”.  Seventy high school students cut classes and marched to the town square to raise their signs.   PRO F****** CHOICE.  NO FORCED BIRTH.  TRUST WOMEN.  This morning the editorial section filled half a page with “Antiabortion Laws Let Father Off the Hook” in which the writer refers to men as “impregnators”.  I felt her anguish seething between lines.  Her father impregnated her Continue Reading

While taking time off from writing, Rick tapped me for teaching our Tuesday evening Bible study.  He’s always concentrated on books of the Bible, starting from chapter one, verse one and going straight through with historical context, what the scriptures say and how they apply to our lives.  While I love that kind of inductive study, I chose a different direction:  people.  One of the book ideas I’ve had for a long time would center on mentoring.  I’ve had a lot of questions about how mentors are chosen, how long the relationships last, what the rules of engagement Continue Reading

My mom passed away twenty-five years ago, but there are still times when I almost reach for the phone to call and tell her something.  I used to feel a punch in the stomach when that happened, knowing there would be no answer on the other end of the line.  Now, I just send up a message.  “Oh, Mom, you would love this…” The time I had with her while she was here on this planet was a blessing.  She was an amazing woman.  Faithful, disciplined, always busy doing things for other people – especially family members.  She had a small wardrobe: a couple of Continue Reading

I read Abby Johnson’s autobiography, Unplanned, and heard her speak a few years ago at our local pregnancy counseling center banquet.  Her story is heart-wrenching, powerful, and mind- altering.  She was a Planned Parenthood director for eight years until she saw the truth of what happens to a living child in abortion.  You can watch the trailer now on IMDb.com or on YouTube. (If you can't see the embedded video due to settings in your browser or any other reason, simply go to youtube.com and search for "Unplanned movie" and the trailer will show in the Continue Reading

Special Interest Bills California legislators all have a cause – or should I say causes?  I recently read an article in our local newspaper that announced 2,576 bills have been introduced to the Legislature before the session deadline. Some are “intent” bills that merely promise more details someday.  Ah, perhaps, in the interest of time and effort, our representatives will just pass them and read them later. There are also “sponsored bills” that are written by lobbyists and handed off to legislators who will claim them as their own.  Some of these bills will be eliminated Continue Reading

Rick headed out of town with our eldest son a few days ago.  Spring Training in Phoenix.  I would have seven full days to do whatever I wanted.  Bwaaahaha…   Part of me wanted to be practical. “Work!”  Get busy writing again.  Something other than emails and blogs and preparing Bible studies for the Tuesday night home group, and notes for a future project – future meaning: not today.   I know when I’m ready, and I’m not.  Time is fast approaching, just not yet. And besides, the forecast was NO RAIN.  After weeks of downpour and flooding, Continue Reading