‘Twas the night before the Christmas musical and all through the Children’s WingThe hallway was empty; no kids there to sing The costumes were hung on their hangers with careIn hopes that all the children soon would be there Mr. John was at home, lying in bedWith preparations for the...
Who could know that one of my “favorite things” would be the gift of time? I recently was reminded of what a gift time really is. Having recently completed a season of intense, dedicated study for a work project, I find myself with the gift of “space” where...
Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy...
I’ve always loved magic and illusions. When I was just waist-high to my father, his best friend was an amateur magician who, whenever the family visited, would produce a little routine for my mother to endure. She would serve as his untrained assistant and volunteer victim. Usually...
The song, "My Favorite Things" reminds me to take notice of things in life which bring to mind God’s presence, goodness, and love. These are some of mine: Sun sifting through a stained glass window…a tiny hand of a child…old familiar Christmas carols...
My favorite Christmas memory centers on candy. For as long as I can remember, my family has made peanut brittle around the holidays and distributed it to friends and loved ones. My earliest memories are of sitting and watching my grandfather, George Pope, slowly heat the sugar concoction...
The Sound of Music is probably not the first movie that comes to mind when you think of Christmas films, but since 2002 the ABC network has included it along with Rudolph and Santa Claus Is Coming to Town and Home Alone in its holiday season schedule. This...
Editor's Note: Today's devotion features a new (to us) meditation by Jan Richardson, who also brought us our favorite Blessing for the Longest Night. May it bring peace and light to your soul today and through all the places when light feels scarce. I walk with Kary under a full moon...
It’s the end of October Another year passes yet all is not over The world is becoming yellow, orange, and red Things continue on, but all is not really dead Our openness to the mysteries of life A prayer for an existence without seasonal strife God has blessed us once again...
When the topic of our annual advent devotional was announced, I immediately got that song from The Sound of Music stuck in my head. So in an effort to drown out the repeating lyrics of mittens and whiskers on kittens, I decided delay thinking about what to write for this...
