Monthly Archives: December 2017

Christmas is upon us!  Time to give God praise anew.  I am approaching my 90th birthday.  Anna Ruth, bless her, is already 90!  It is fitting that we should be touched by this hymn, long a favorite of ours.  It … Continue reading →

Did you ever see an orchid tree?  Here is one, beautiful beyond words. Orchids!  Dozens of them.  Overwhelming. We tend a little orchid now and again, and get attached to it.  How about this whole “tree” of orchids?  Anna Ruth, … Continue reading →

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, … Continue reading →

Alan found a Longwood orchid to his liking!  Does it have any smell, Alan? One of the many breathtaking displays at Longwood Gardens.  This wreath of apples, cranberries and other nice things, etc.. must be three or more feet across.  … Continue reading →

Scene one.  A newborn baby, embraced and fed by his young mother in a strange place among strange people, in Bethlehem, a small village of Judah, far from family and friends. Scene two.  A condemned man dying as cursed by … Continue reading →

There is something quite special about the first snow of the season.  I think we can see this mystery in the picture out of our dining room window.  Got over 4 inches!  Nice snow, soon melted by the warmer weather.  … Continue reading →

Philip Brooks wrote about his horse­back jour­ney from Je­ru­sa­lem to Beth­le­hem, where he as­sist­ed with the mid­night ser­vice on Christ­mas Eve, 1865: “I re­mem­ber stand­ing in the old church in Beth­le­hem, close to the spot where Je­sus was born, when … Continue reading →

My annual blood work reveals that my corpuscles are down, have been going down for the past few years.  I have an appointment with specialists on January 2 of 2018.  Looks like something is going on in the bone marrow.  … Continue reading →

Our prayers are with our Australian family.  Today we expect them, Jane included, for the holiday season, with little Finn of course.  Jane was there for about a month helping out with Finn as Zel returned to the classroom, and … Continue reading →

This African violet blooms all year, I do believe, but the dazzling blossoms bless the eye on a cold day as winter approaches.  When there are no outdoor blossoms, this lovely flower takes on special meaning.