A Prayer Heard

My Mom was distraught. Her hearing aid was missing. Yup. The newly upgraded edition that had involved several trips to the hearing clinic. Mom had removed it earlier and placed it in her pocket. Werther’s candy wrappers happened to be in her pocket also. When the wrappers were tossed into the garbage, Mom thought the…

Enduring Love

I love to check out garage sales. It’s not just the lure of finding a treasure for next-to-nothing that’s the attraction. It’s the opportunity to find something unique that is no longer available in stores. Once I stumbled upon a garage sale where there were many poppy items and Christmas nutcrackers, both of which I…

A Cross to Wear

I told the older woman behind the counter at the dress shop that I liked her cross. Funny how those words opened up a conversation. She looked beyond retirement age but I’d watched her move expertly through the store: measuring brides-to-be for wedding gowns and teens for their prom dresses, and fetching yet another outfit…

Seeking an End to Worry?

“Inshallah!” A friend of mine practiced nursing overseas for a year. She worked at a state-of-the-art hospital in Dubai. Besides being paid extremely well, she found the unit she worked on to be well-stocked with modern equipment and computers. However, she had one complaint.  If she needed a “stat” x-ray performed or “stat” blood work done, she always got…

Bridal Blessings!

“If someone stabbed Giselle in the back, well, she’s the type of person that would say, ”I’m sorry. Was I in your way?”” A friend described my daughter. She’s just that sweet of a person. Giselle recently became engaged  to a young man I’ve been fond of from the moment I met him. I couldn’t be happier…

Choosing Peace

I admit it. It was the second week of advent and I’d done nothing special. Sure, I read a bit of my little Advent booklet. But, I didn’t exert myself. It was time.  I decided to choose kindness and peace. I figured that wouldn’t be too difficult as I’m not too confrontational. Well, I made…

Ode to Joy

Musical memory…is there such a thing? I’ve heard of muscle memory. How a person can hop on a bicycle despite any recent pedaling and still take a spin as if they rode yesterday. A couple of years ago, my hubby bought me an electric piano or keyboard. I don’t know what you call it; I…

Their Shoes #7

Dwaine’s shoes were donated to him. “Brother Jimmy passed them over to me.” What is your biggest struggle with poverty on a daily basis? “It’s not what you think…it’s that I don’t have enough funds to help others out and that I’ve no money for further education. I’d like to get a degree.” “With me,…

Consolation

An isolated chair in great condition sat in the alley near the homeless shelter. I wonder if any homeless people rest a spell there. Christine, the shelter’s administrator, approved of  my sister’s idea to raise awareness of poverty in Windsor. My sister is a successful writer. It’ll be an every Monday blog feature titled: Their Shoes.…

Peaceful Poppies for Dad

Mom, two of my sisters and I were ushered from Dad’s bedside into the ICU quiet room. On the wall was a large painting of whimsical poppies on thin stems. Strong stems to support big flowers of crepe paper texture. Delicate yet strong. I’ve always loved poppies since watching The Wizard of Oz as a…