World War II officially ended with the unconditional surrender of Japan. The documents were formalized on the deck of the USS Missouri on September 2nd, 1945. After the end of the war, it took more than three years to bring home the 3.5...

One of my favorite little books to read around Easter time is Gold from Golgotha by Russell Jones. It recounts in detail the seven sayings Christ makes from the cross. In the section dealing with the comment “Father into thy hands I commit my...

There is such power in those three little words, “I am here.” Imagine for a moment a young elementary student with a part in the school play. Those three lines he or she has to deliver are some of the most important sentences ever spoken. But maybe...

Having lived in England for a while as a kid, I have always had a fascination for royalty. I once got to “meet” Queen Elizabeth (well, I got to curtsey her!). One of my British boyfriends offered to take me to a very cool steak house if I memorized...

Recently I was looking at some old photos of a trip I made to Kenya back in 2007.  I had the great privilege to speak to a women’s group in Nairobi and then travelled up into the hills in western Kenya to a place called Mount Elgon. The group...

I just sent my Goddaughter a cute cartoon that showed someone curled up in an easy chair with a book in her hand. The caption read, “Drink your coffee, read your books, it’s chaos out there.” I am thinking that might be great advice for all of us...

I have been doing some reading about simplicity. You might know that Steve Jobs had a very limited wardrobe. He routinely wore a black turtleneck sweater from Issey Miyake, Levi’s 501 blue jeans and New Balance sneakers. Apparently, Einstein only...

As I grew up in my first church, I heard a lot about a group of people known as the “shut ins.” These were usually older folks who had health issues and just couldn’t get out and about. But recently I have been thinking about folks who are “shut...

Recently, I have been planning another trip to Alaska. (Yes, it is one of my absolute favorite places on earth!) And when I think about those steely grey mountains and deep blue waters, I also think about those magnificent birds, the bald eagles....

I love stories about the royal family and one of their most prized character qualities is timeliness. They are known to arrive and depart from all appointments and events on time. But apparently there was one glaring exception to that rule. It...

Let me share some interesting thoughts about languages. Did you know that the Scots have 421 different Scottish Gaelic snow-related words? The school kids only need to know one: “Tomorrow is a Snow Day!” The country with the most official languages...