When I went to college, I attended a junior college near home for one year, then transferred and lived away from home. I didn’t come back home to live until after I got married. My husband and I lived with my parents for one year while saving money to buy our first house. Living with […]
I’m taking a sign language class, we meet twice a week, and it’s one of the highlights of my week. There is a great sense of satisfaction when I actually understand what my teacher is signing (if he does it relatively slow). There is a 70-year-old man in the class. He’s retired, wakes up anytime […]
If you believe in adoption, please read my post at Adventures In Parenting. I won’t repeat it here.
I admit, I like being a Christian. I like going to church, I like the stuff we do at church, I like meeting other Christians, I like Christiany things, I like to read the Bible and pray and all of that. I used to avoid issues that would make me question the claims of Christianity […]
My highlights of the past few days: 1. Spoke at my friend’s women’s group on Saturday. 2. God gave me the message to speak on. 3. I learned a lot from my own message. 4. The ladies, including my sister who came to hear me, really liked it. 5. I got a phone call from […]
My weakness is meat. I prefer a thick prime rib over chocolate cake. In fact, I am not tempted by chocolate at all. It may surprise you that I do not like chocolate. I am not tempted by sweets, but I am tempted by a hunk of meat, medium rare. But in an effort to […]
As of tomorrow, we will no longer have TV. We got cable TV for my mother in law to watch the Chinese channels. Since she’s on vacation, we are saving money by canceling TV until she comes back. No more Alton Brown, Cake Challenge, and Dirty Jobs…oh, and Jeopardy…that’s gonna hurt. But I can definitely […]
Whenever life gets you down and you think life is not fair, just reread the life of Joseph in the Bible. I met a boy at church today who got into some trouble at school. His mom brought him to church to do some “community service”. I learned a bit of the back story, and […]
An extrovert comes out of a meeting wishing she didn’t say so much. An introvert comes out of a meeting wishing she had said more. I usually wish I didn’t so much. What about you?
It’s suppose to be a virtue to embrace multiculturalism – to celebrate and appreciate the uniqueness of different cultures. People often seek cross-cultural experiences by going to other countries, or going across town. Exposure to diversity enriches our own lives. But it seems to me most people just want to have an occasional multicultural experience […]
It’s a good thing I am somewhat impulsive. I sometimes impulsively offer to give people things, or to help someone. Then later on, I would think twice about my offer. My selfish human nature thinks too much of the cost, and I begin to regret my offer of generosity. But since it would be too […]
I was telling my kids that I felt sorry for Tiger Woods. He will never know if someone loves him for himself, or for his fame and fortune. Even if a girl had good intentions, she can’t help having her feelings for him be influenced by his money. The same is true for beautiful models. […]
In 1990, our family moved to Walnut from Pasadena to open a real estate office. (We closed that office a year ago due to the downturn, but that’s another story.) We started attending a small church that met at an elementary school, because we knew a few people there and because the pastor was our […]
I just got this insight (and another chapter for my book). I realize that as a parent, I have such a close bond of identification with my children that whatever happens to them it’s like it was happening to me. Recently when my daughter received a nice gift, I felt it was as if the […]
Thank you for the surprise gift at the front gate! When I first saw it, I thought it was some kind of advertisement, the kind where if you want to buy it, you pay for it. If you don’t want it, the promoters will come by and take it back. I looked around the neighborhood […]
I sold my son’s bunk bed today… We’ve had that bed for over 10 years, probably closer to 15. I didn’t think I would feel sad, but I do.
We know the right answer. “The church is about the people…people not program…” But the way we act often reflect otherwise. We get upset with people when the program doesn’t run smoothly. We are irritated with people who disagree with us how things ought to be done. We stay away from people who are to […]
When you are posed with several options or courses of action, and all of them are good, how do you decide which one God wants you to choose? How do you determine God’s will? I’ve been reading biographies of famous Christians, the children’s versions in story form. They are easy and fun to read, so […]
I recently heard this quote, something like, “I don’t have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one.” (Some have attributed this quote to Mark Twain, but I haven’t found the source. It sounds like something he would say, I suppose). I shall remember this when I write, and […]
Emotions are intensified for youth and young adults. I just realized the truth of that yesterday. I was having a bad day for no apparent reason. Small irritants that are a part of life made me angry. I had a good cry when I went to bed. But my emotions are not as strong as […]