Seagulls in the Parking Lot

Every time I pull into the parking lot at my local Target store, I am amazed at the number of seagulls flying around. It strikes me as so odd that such beautiful birds, normally associated with pristine beaches of Florida or "The Shore" (as my east coast friends have taught me to say) would be content spending their lives in the parking lot of a Target store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Instead of being fed crusts of half-eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from the vacationing kids in Ft. Meyers, they are scrounging for stale french fries from the nearby McDonald's. Instead of soaring over the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico they are soaring over the nearby Office Max and Pick N Save! What are they thinking? Do they know what they're missing? How sad it makes me feel. Hmm...

God in the Grocery Store

I hate grocery shopping. I hate planning meals, shopping, loading, unloading, and cooking! Get the picture? I eat to live, not live to eat. And to be honest with you, I don't know how I managed to keep my three kids alive on the meals I made. But one thing that makes the grocery shopping experience much more palatable is that it seems that I encounter God quite often in the grocery store. Often times, strangers will start talking to me or ask me if I know where something is. And before you know it, we are talking about their sick parent or their abusive husband. I am able to encourage them and offer to pray for them, and then we are off down the aisle. Hmm...

If I Had the Courage

My uncle Lee was one of those people who talked about God as if he were sitting right next to him. God was his constant companion. This seemed a little strange to me at first. My idea of God was that he was up in heaven somewhere, busy with the really important stuff. But my uncle Lee helped me see that wasn't the case. I admired him for doing that. It left a lasting impression on me, probably helped me cultivate the deep faith I have now. It took a lot of courage on his part. He risked sounding foolish because of his love for his God. Hmm...

Chocolate Milk or White

One of my weirdest memories from grade school was right before lunch when John the janitor would wheel in a cart with precisely counted cartons of chocolate and white milk. The chocolate ones far outnumbered the white ones. In fact, the white ones were only for those unfortunate few classmates who were allergic to chocolate. My heart always ached for them. Because who in their right mind would want white milk when they could have chocolate? Hmm...

The Captain of Our Boat

Barb and her daughter, Lindsey, were on a mother-daughter bonding trip over Spring Break. They went on a dolphin watching excursion. It started out lovely as they took off in the bay near Padre Island. But as the boat entered the Gulf of Mexico, things got a little rough. At the first sign that this was going to be a two Dramamine excursion, Barb thought, "I can handle this." But after 10 minutes of constant slamming and white knuckle gripping of the nearest rail, fear began to creep into her thoughts. After a few more minutes of this ordeal, the fear turned into panic with the feeling that she wasn't sure she could handle it anymore. The minute that thought entered her mind, a voice came over the loudspeaker. The captain of the boat said, "Looks like you've had enough. I'll take you to where it is calm." Hmm...

My Sarcastic Dad

My dad was a great man, a great husband, father, and provider. He had a great sense of humor, if you like the dry, sarcastic kind. He wasn't that great at compliments though. So as children, my siblings and I quickly learned to read between the lines to find my dad's true feelings. Hidden in his sarcasm was the love and pride he had for the four of us. Like the time I got all dressed up for a high school dance and as I was coming down the stairs all decked out, he smiled at me and said, "Oh, is the circus in town?" Which I knew really meant, "You look beautiful, sweetheart!" Or when he used to call me Deuteronomy every time he saw me after I started a bible study at church, which really meant, "I'm proud of you that your faith is important in your life." I always knew my dad thought "I hung the moon," as the saying goes, even though at times the situation may not have looked like it. Hmm...

Whatever Team Gets Off the Bus

There once was a wise football coach, a woman coach, who prided herself on the fact that she prepared her team for anything. She wasn't big on scouting other teams and strategizing till dawn. Her philosophy was simple, yet profound. She told her boys, "We practice every day, we eat well, and we get plenty of rest, so we are ready and prepared to play whatever team gets off that bus." Hmm...

Chiropractors and Confession

How do you feel about chiropractors? I know, mixed reactions. My chiropractor is a college friend, Russ, and he's promised me he won't snap my head off. So, I have become a faithful partaker in this unusual practice. I try to ignore my pain when things are out of whack. I say to myself, it will get better. Then morning after morning I wake up feeling like my neck is made of concrete, and limp to the bathroom because one leg is longer than the other. (Sounds like a horror movie!) So I reluctantly go see Russ and let him realign me, get me back on track and I feel so much better. I don't have the pains and hindrances to living my life as it is intended. It took me a while to get over my fears and to really see how beneficial it is to get myself realigned. Hmm...

Stay Out of the Laundry Room

Rudy is our family dog. He is a mutt, or a "$75 dog," as my husband says. Basically he is a hound, which means his nose runs his life. Every once in awhile, he'll be sound asleep in the sunspot in the family room and bolt upright, barking like there's no tomorrow. We all know what's outside - a squirrel! Squirrels to Rudy are like Cinnabons when you're on a diet. He's defenseless against their scent. Even when he knows that to go after them will bring him pain. Because in winter, outside the laundry room door, which is his route to the yard, there is a slippery slope on the stoop from the icicles above. A few times wiping out on that slippery slope and Rudy wouldn't even go in the laundry room anymore. He sits on the threshold looking toward the door instead. He knows if he steps in the laundry room, he's out the door and down the slippery slope. Hmm...

Dirty Laundry

We are trying to sell our house. So when we have the showings, I have to make sure the house looks like nobody lives there. Which seems odd but OK, I'll do it. Everything in its place. But there is always that one problem. Where do you stash the dirty laundry at a moments notice? A friend told me to just put it in a laundry basket and throw it in your car. So I tried it yesterday. I drove around all day doing errands with two baskets of dirty laundry in my car. I stopped home once, forgot it was in there, and headed off again with the dirty laundry. Every time I came out of a store and walked up to the car I saw it. I couldn't escape it. I was embarrassed and felt a little ashamed. Hmm...