Hey! You aren’t supposed to say that! I looked at the paragraph I’d written. This character was speaking and acting…well, out of character. I had her personality planned and knew how she fit into the story I was writing, but, here she was, taking the bit in her mouth, the bull by the horns, and […]

The Canebrake
This is a reprint from a few years back. I remember when I read it to my Cozy Critters and they were wondering what sort of animal would begin with the letter Y. Canebrake ABC’s Red ants, black ants marching all together, through a canebrake by the river in the lovely summer weather. Many-colored butterflies drift or dream […]

Who Was That Man?
No, he wasn’t Cupid, but he was a real person who existed in the days of the emperor Claudius. Claudius was having trouble with his soldiers. They wanted to stay home with their wives and families instead of fighting wars, so Claudius forbade marriages. Valentine, a priest, defied the emperor and performed the ceremonies anyway. […]
A Gift of Love
Yesterday, I got a packet in the mail from the young people at our church’s school. I get one every year about this time, just before Valentine’s Day. It never fails to cheer me. Inside the brown envelope are small, hand-made Valentines. The children have written small notes of encouragement, and they include Bible verses. […]

Manaem, Man of Mystery
There’s an intriguing name in the New Testament, in Acts 13: Manaen. As far as I know, this man is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. Scripture says he was brought up with Herod Antipas. What a surprise! Manaen, a believer in Christ, was a childhood friend of Herod Antipas, the one who ordered […]


