Celebrate Christmas with Love

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When I reflect on what Christmas is meant to be, one word rises to the surface of my mind: love. From decorating the fragrant tree to baking cookies that fill the house with scent of cinnamon and spice, to handing out mugs of hot chocolate—each action is filled with love. Baking cookies reminds me of happy times spent in the kitchen with my children, all covered in flour, cookie-dough prints on aprons, and delighted grins on youthful faces. These experiences fill me with joy. Christmas is a time to connect with family, friends, and neighbors. I love to hostess a…

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GPS for Life

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  I have always hated driving in unfamiliar cities because I couldn’t watch the road and my map at the same time. In the past, I worked hard to memorize directions and search for the next turn while maneuvering through traffic. Even getting in the right lane to turn can be a challenge when I don’t know the area.   Rather than venture out, I often chose cowardice and stayed home. I could imagine myself embroiled in a major accident while floundering through alien streets. However, I am quite grateful for the GPS on my phone. A holder on the…

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Thankful … Years Later

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Thankful… Years Later by Judith Couchman New York, New York. As a young woman, that’s all I wanted. In New York City, I would morph into a valued editor and writer. I would create a stylish lifestyle. I would prove my talent and worthiness. I would become who I longed to be–patterned after female writers in the biographies on my bookshelves–but of course, not addicted and less screwed up. But even with those lavish dreams, I didn’t move to New York to work and write. Although in my late twenties a reliable NYC company offered me a job, I turned…

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Subsequent Inspiration

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Subsequent Inspiration by Linda Rondeau “The remarkable thing about spiritual initiative is that the life and power come after we ‘get up and get going.’ God does not give us overcoming life—He gives us life as we overcome.” — Oswald Chambers Chambers wrote these words a long time ago. How did he know I’d be so tired today I couldn’t think straight? How am I supposed to inspire others when I can’t get inspired about what to make for supper? There are days I think inspiration has permanently left the building.   I’m a cancer survivor. Chemo and radiation treatments left me…

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Clouds and Sunsets

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I love the ever-changing colors and textures of a sunset. There’s something so peaceful about it, almost as if the day exhales its worry and stress in preparation for the night. Maybe that’s why the best sunsets include clouds, those masses of water vapor we usually associate with storms. In fact, some of the most beautiful sunsets happen in the aftermath of a storm when the abundance of cloud surfaces all reflect the varying hues of light as the sun slips below the horizon. Several decades have passed since I took my first airplane ride, but I still remember that…

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Growing Through Change

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The holidays are soon upon us and so are the inevitable changes of the new year. Crazy as it is, change is all around us. A wedding. A new baby. School. A heart attack. A honeymoon. Retirement. A new home. Death. A promotion. Divorce. A big inheritance. Cancer. A new career. Remarriage. Each of these situations—and a zillion more—bring change into a person’s life. Some changes are good; some are bad; some are just plain ugly. Some of these changes we choose; others we do not. But change happens, so it’s wise to learn how to respond to those changes…

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My Favorite Book. Is It Yours? By Darlene Franklin

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My Favorite Book. It Is Yours? by Darlene Franklin     Since I’m an author, it’s not surprising that I read. Some books I never finish, some I’ve read five times. But even with my favorite books, I reach a saturation point and let them gather dust on a special shelf. But there is one book I started reading as a child which I find as endlessly fascinating and worthy of study as the first time I opened it over fifty years ago: my Bible. No other book stirs so much discussion with friends and strangers. Whenever I’m sad, it gives me…

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Hearing God…or Not

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They say it’s your birthday. It’s my birthday, too, yeah. I’m glad it’s your birthday. We’re gonna have a good time. –Lennon/McCartney Today is my birthday. Now that my feet are firmly planted in my sixth decade, I have questions that must be answered. What happened to my nice, thick eyebrows, and why are they now growing on my upper lip? When did I become my mother? Will I ever remember all the words to Bohemian Rhapsody? When will I stop acting like a spoiled child? When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a…

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Orchid Beauty

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By Cynthia Simmons “Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary” ( Psalm 96:6). I grow cattellya orchids indoors, and I love to watch the fragile buds swell until they pop so the delicate petals can unfurl a little at a time. Breathtaking! I feel as if I am seeing the hand of God at work. The frilly lip is the last to open, and then a light fragrance tinges the air. The sweet aroma lasts during the day until the flower starts to fade. My favorite orchid produces a spray of five or six…

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