...a word from Kathy

A nother Easter Sunday is here!  Hallelujah, He is risen!  We have hope and a future!  As I sit here this morning, I'm having to force myself to stay in this moment and repeat the words, Hallelujah He is risen.  For in my life this Easter weekend there is much beautiful distraction...my family is in town, there are pictures to be made, food to be cooked, stories to be told, laughter to consume me, dresses and shirts to iron and dishes to wash.  These beautiful distractions of life give me great pleasure and joy but as this Easter Day wears on I can sense that the chorus of Hallelujah may become more faint.  Let it not be so, Lord. The story of Easter morning from Luke 24 is one I never tire of reading.  There is so much drama and joy and unexpectedness.  The women walking to the tomb to anoint His body with spices and perfumes, the stone rolled away, the shock, the two men in clothes that gleamed like lightening, the women returning to the d...

W hen I was a little girl one of the great joys of Thanksgiving morning was watching the Macy's Day Parade.  I can remember waking up and immediately running to tune in and watch it with my parents (on one our three tv channels)!  I watched the dancing, the crazy balloons, the characters of all sorts! Of course, at the same time there was cooking to be done so we watched and cooked and prepared for the big family celebration to come.  But always, always the kitchen action stopped as the parade neared its end for we all had anticipated the main event...Santa Claus!  As a little girl it thrilled me to see him arrive for it meant that soon, very soon Christmas was coming.  And for a child there was no greater joy. I've realized that after being in the desert of Lent for 40 days I am ready for a parade!  And, it strikes me that we have that opportunity this week.  This parade also has a great cast of characters and it too has a main event at its end. ...

D o you take long road trips?  There is really nothing quite like a road trip.  It offers us great opportunity to see the countryside and all sorts of local sites.  It also is quite an opportunity for family bonding or something like bonding!  I can remember long ago road trips with my parents.  My mama's family is from Thomasville, Georgia and we would take an annual trip to visit.  Now living in Jackson, Mississippi this created a nice long drive for our family.  For years, we stopped at the same restaurant for breakfast as my dad insisted we leave before sunrise.  I still remember it after 40 years; you could play the jukebox from your booth!  This was a very high-tech situation!  And I remember my sister losing her shoes because either she or our brother threw them out the window at some point on the trip - this was not a happy outcome.  But I REALLY remember that my daddy would smoke his pipe while we were driving along...."i...

(Cross post from Forthfaithful.blogspot.com) Dear Diary:  today finds me at my favorite place...the beach.  Yes, I am at the water and thank you for meeting me here.  I'm bundled up and sitting in my beach chair.  The wind is whistling about and rustling my papers, tangling my hair and it is glorious.  The beach is empty except for me and my guy.  The waves are unceasing but the water is calm.  It is 68º with nary a cloud in sight. And I feel tears rolling down my cheeks.  I am so joyful in this place. It is the place of creation... where water meets land in a divine way.  It is His place and He's let it be a part of my spirit.   I am pondering Lent today.  We have walked a Lent journey for 4 weeks.  I'm wondering what I have learned.  Has anything changed in me?  Has what I "gave up for Lent" made a difference in my life?  Has it drawn me closer to knowing God?  And honestly, I'm a bit tired of writ...