The River Road

If we hurried in the morning, we would have a few extra minutes to take the river road to school.  Of the two routes, it was preferable. U.S. 1, flanked by used car dealerships and run down gas stations, was cluttered with cars and offered no enticing scenery. However, Indian River Drive wove alongside theContinue reading “The River Road”

In Deep Water

Swimming lessons had us at the pool more often this summer, and the most common phrase I heard there was “Don’t go so deep!” Why are children allured by deep water? They splash and play happily, all while edging closer and closer to that moment when the level of the water will be above theirContinue reading “In Deep Water”

Surrounded by God’s Shouts of Deliverance

My children and I recently visited the On-A-Slant Mandan Village at Fort Abraham Lincoln in Mandan, ND.  We had fun exploring the round houses and marveling at their construction. In the models of the village as it was in the early 1700’s, there is a long palisade along one side. As I looked at theContinue reading “Surrounded by God’s Shouts of Deliverance”

Swallowed Up

If Fairy Tales are any indication, one of mankind’s worst fears is being swallowed up. Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, Hansel and Gretel, and The Gingerbread Man all include antagonists who will swallow you in one gulp, one bite, or one meal. To be swallowed is to be consumed, to cease toContinue reading “Swallowed Up”

For the Birds

We’ve been delighted with the flurry of Baltimore Orioles visiting our bird feeders this year. My oldest son laughed when he learned that they like to eat orange slices and grape jelly.  When we noticed them drinking out of the hummingbird feeders, we wondered why they had such a sweet tooth.  Orioles, Grosbeaks, and HummingbirdsContinue reading “For the Birds”

Cleansed or Consumed?

Many men work hard for spiritual cleansing. Some stoke the fire. Some bring large stones to place in the fire. Once the stones are hot, still other men remove them from the fire and pour water over them to create a great storehouse of steam. They bathe in the steam they have created, hoping theirContinue reading “Cleansed or Consumed?”

Life, Death, and Charlotte’s Web

When author E.B. White recorded the audiobook version of his classic children’s story Charlotte’s Web, it took him seventeen tries to record the scene where Charlotte, the spider, dies. He would begin weeping. The producer would stop the recording. They would take a walk outside and then come back and try it again. Seventeen tries.Continue reading “Life, Death, and Charlotte’s Web”