This is the ring my father gave my mother for her 20th birthday, May 13, 1952. It was a combination birthday/birthstone/engagement ring, with her initials inscribed on it. Mom gave it to me when I was in high school, I later gave it to my oldest daughter. We three — Mom, myself, and my daughter — all share the first name, Willena, and it seemed fitting to give it to my daughter. The ring inspired the following fiction story, which…
I’ve always wondered why Mrs. Smith chose to teach kindergarten as a profession. She never seemed to enjoy it. Her favourite form of punishment for the smallest misdemeanor was to send a child to stand in the corner — behind the big upright piano. Her victim didn’t have to be a wayward kindergarten pupil. Sometimes it was an older kid, making faces at us through the window. Occasionally Mrs. Smith would forget she had sent someone there. One hapless 7th…
Have you ever been faced with an emergency, and you have NO time to think? What would you do?? This is the story of a summer day in 2012 when Ian was at work and I was at home with our three youngest boys. We spent Thursday night and Friday preparing for company coming on Saturday. The boys worked hard cleaning up around our property, mowing the lawn and weeding the flowerbeds. They also did a great job cleaning the…
“Tell about something you experienced growing up that children today will never know – due to advancements, technology, progress – and how it may affect them (what won’t they learn, what could be the ramifications or what could it save them from)…” So goes the writing prompt. I’m not going to tackle the latter part of that, but would like to give a little picture of what it was like for me growing up in a small town in southern…
In a few days it will be 16 months since our beloved Ian was called Home to be with his Lord. How am I really doing? A couple of weeks ago I shared this testimony with my church family. I miss Ian so much, but I am in good hands… About a year and a half ago, my husband Ian and I did two things that turned out to be the beginning of something far bigger than we ever imagined….
Today is Mother’s Day. It is also my birthday. My second one without my beloved Ian. During these days of social distancing due to the coronavirus that has swept our world, and with one daughter and my first grandbaby living a thousand miles away, I didn’t get to see all of my children either. At least I saw Raewyn and Vicki, and we had a lovely visit. Today I would like to share with you another Mother’s Day/birthday sixteen years…
This was originally written twelve years ago, when my seven children were ages 8 to 25. Choosing My Battles Wisely A young mother recently asked me, “If you had one piece of advice for parents of teens, what would it be?” I replied, “Choose your battles wisely, and don’t sweat the small stuff.” When my children were little I would listen to my favourite music from the 60’s when they weren’t around, because I was ashamed of it. Somewhere along…