I took a picture this morning of the aged Rhododendron bush at the back of our campsite. A week ago, when we set up camp, these blooms were not yet open. The bush was full of ivory buds with no hint of the delicious color you see here. I watched them day by day and hoped they would bloom out before we had to break camp. And here they are, opening their petals to the morning sun, beckoning to the birds and bees. We arrived home a few moments ago, and I’m here with you while my dear husband unloads the truck. Last Sunday, we celebrated our resurrected Lord, shared…

Ordinarily I publish my weekly posts on Sunday afternoons. Today is Saturday, and here I sit with my laptop crafting an early Easter offering. This unusual shift in my schedule is due to several factors. Tomorrow being Easter Sunday, we will attend church, go to my sister’s for the family meal, and then hustle away to our favorite mountain top campground for a week of tent dwelling. This morning we started early with laundry, a trip to the grocery store, packing up the dry goods and other camping paraphernalia, and loading the truck, which now looks like something out of a dime novel featuring a family fleeing the East Coast…

I have a corner office with two walls of windows. It is situated so that my chair faces the rising sun when I am working at my computer, and there is a tiny cut-glass elephant sitting on the shelf next to my monitors. When the morning sun streams in, the light catches the small facets of glass and dozens of small rainbow squares bounce on the tall cabinet standing in the corner next to my left shoulder. This simple delight never fails to bring a smile to my face, and I often pause long enough to thank God for the place He has given me and the people with whom…

I came home from work on Friday to find several vases of fresh flowers placed around the living room and kitchen. Sometimes sending your husband to do the grocery shopping has unexpected benefits. I was charmed by his thoughtfulness and the obvious romantic overture and consequently resisted the urge to rearrange the flora to my aesthetic preference. As I sit here now, within eyesight of two of the vases, I realize that a couple of the Gerber Daises have drooping heads due to the fact that he tossed the green plastic tubes which had been included in the original bunch to keep them straight. The smile that curves my lips…