-
Storms
The only time I’ve ever been on a boat of any kind was when we were in Dubai – probably about 22 years ago. It was a company event, and we were taken out to sea to watch the powerboat race. Unfortunately, though, the only thing I saw the entire day was the inside of a large pack of barf bags and a napkin holder that slid mesmerizingly from one side of the dining area floor to the other!! The waves apparently were 8 to 10 feet that day. After a couple of hours of a tossing boat and throwing up, I was certain we were all going to die!!…
-
A new bride & an extreme phobia = ?
Now I’ve always been a storyteller, and some stories from my memory bank have over the years become family lore. It is always with great joy (and “glee” of course, if the story is to the embarrassment of another family member) that I regale the extended family with these stories during get-togethers and holidays. Here’s one such nugget from the time I was a new bride some 38+ years ago. It’s hard now to even imagine that at the age of 23, having known my husband for barely 3 weeks, I moved to Bahrain and into a home with my husband’s family – his parents, brother and sister. New husband,…
-
Holding Loosely
I have learned to hold all things loosely, so God will not have to pry them out of my hands. ~ Corrie Ten Boom As a family, it’s been tradition to make a celebration out of the evening set aside for Christmas decorating – and it’s usually around mid-November. Carols blare loudly, hot chocolate flows, and there’s happy talk, laughter, and friendly arguments as to who gets to put up the angel tree topper. However, over the past 17 years, there have been so many changes happening in quick succession, with moving to a new country, losing a parent each, our older girls getting married, leaving home and having babies,…
-
*As long as I’m living… my baby you’ll be
A few days ago, I was trying to find a picture of my mother and myself, and as always with pictures, it took me for a walk, way down nostalgia lane. I can spend hours there, rambling through long-forgotten memories… wistfully remembering times that went by far too soon! With all the pictures and albums on the floor around me, I came across one of Becca holding Sol, our first grandchild, with me sitting beside her. It was labelled, “Two mothers and two babies.” Two babies? I had to look again. Yes. There were actually TWO babies in that picture. And that thought triggered a memory, from 36+ years ago……
-
Out of the mouth of babes…
I used to journal a lot, and the joy I find in journaling is being able to go back in time… before the Instagram and Facebook era. This happened about 31 years ago… when our oldest daughter Becca was about 4 years old, and we had moved to Sharjah, an emirate of the UAE. We lived in a small apartment building next to the souq (a market place lined with beautiful small shops and restaurants), in a town called Rolla, and Becca was ecstatic to find that the apartment next to us had twins her age – twin girls named Ammu & Binu. The three of them soon became inseparable…
-
“Our” Father’s Heart
So, we as a family, have just been through a difficult time… when clinging to the Lord in tears, was all I was able to do. For someone who always likes to be in control, calling these past few weeks ‘hard’ is an understatement! Two weeks ago, I was sitting with my Bible, early one morning, but my mind was not on the text. It was with my child who had been admitted to the hospital the previous evening – after months of being unwell and in pain. It was hard not being there with her. And harder still that I could do nothing. My mind wandered to the time…
-
Toasted White Bread
I woke up with a nagging sinus headache on a stormy, rainy day [very unlike the usual misty rain we have here all year round], a couple of weeks ago, and all I could think of as I opened my eyes was toasted white bread… dripping condensed milk!! Okay. Before you throw up your hands in horror and get all judgmental, let me explain the root of this weird craving. Now, in the sixties and the seventies, we grew up on traditional south Indian cuisine that definitely did not include bread. So bread (and there was only white bread) was a treat when one was sick. And sometimes, on rare…
-
Treasures of my heart…
I am so grateful for treasured memories that come spilling out at the drop of a hat! And being a mother brings me great joy, and has revealed my heavenly Father’s heart… just a little more clearly. Here are three “treasures” that took place over the span of probably 20 years. And I placed them in this order only because they opened my eyes to this Word. The Lord your God… He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 Treasure #1: He will take great delight in you…As usual I was racing up and down…
-
Daughter #3
It was sometime during the Fall of 2018, when Abi, our youngest, who lived on campus, and studied at the university where I worked, decided that she needed a haircut. And this text exchange happened, in the middle of a hectic work day for me. Abi: I’m not going in to class today. Can I borrow your car? I need a haircut asap. Me: I don’t have my car today. I have *dad’s BMW. Abi: Ugghh! Tomorrow?Me: I’m off tomorrow. I really don’t have time for this. Can’t you go next week when I have my car? Abi: Oof! You’re literally ruining my life!!Me: You know, no one’s died ‘coz…