Boxing Day and All is Well

Boxing Day and All is Well

  In many countries, this is Boxing Day. This special day after Christmas is a tradition started by elite Britishers of giving gifts to those who serve them throughout the year. The gifts are boxed and I suppose that’s where the name comes from. This is also St. Stephen’s Day, in honor of the first […]

Did the Innkeeper Ever Know?

Did the Innkeeper Ever Know?

I like to think about the people in the stable the night the Lord Jesus was born. Did the innkeeper feel a twinge of sympathy as Joseph asked for lodging and was told there was no room for them? Did he ever, in future years, realize he had assigned the King of Kings to a […]

A Musical Creative Cozy Mystery

A Musical Creative Cozy Mystery

On the first day of Christmas, Santa brought to me a creative cozy mystery. On the second day of Christmas, Santa brought to me two tidy murders and a creative cozy mystery. On the third day of Christmas, Santa brought to me three suspects skulking, two tidy murders, and a creative cozy mystery. On the fourth […]

Yesterday’s Moon

  I stopped in front of the fireplace. It had been built by someone who evidently knew what he was doing. It was made of rock with an oak mantel. An old and faded linoleum covered most of the floor.       “You’re right, Jackie. This house has a lot going for it. It could be […]

What Is This?

What Is This?

Rain is falling in NW Arkansas, but that isn’t all…hail peppered my deck and rattled against the house a few minutes ago. Lightning, thunder–what is this? Isn’t the official start of winter less than a week away? Doesn’t Christmas wait just around the corner? Could it be that autumn is having a hissy fit at […]

Christmas Lights and Quiet Thoughts

Christmas Lights and Quiet Thoughts

Our family has the tradition of lighting Advent candles on the Sundays before Christmas, then reading  Scripture. The soft glow of the candle is peaceful and silent but it reflects a powerful message of hope and love. I wish that our world would stop for a moment and absorb this quietness and peace. Doesn’t Scripture […]