“I really want that juice,” my three-year-old son whispered as the communion trays were passed. “We will talk about it later,” I whispered back, and then bowed my while the rest of the congregation received their elements. “Drink this cup in remembrance of me,” the pastor repeated the words Jesus spoke at the Last Supper (except in English), and in… View Post

Circumstances beyond my control have been wreaking havoc on my well-laid summer plans. I have spent a lot of time lately reflecting on where life has brought me, and trying to discern what lessons I should be learning.  My writing is pretty much at a standstill at the moment, so I decided to take a trip in the “way-back machine”… View Post

Central America is pretty much exactly like it is portrayed in the movies; sweltering heat, flourishing jungles, machete wielding natives, giant reptiles, ancient ruins, khaki clad archaeologists, and plenty of beans and rice. But in spite of all this, the most noticeable difference in cultures is Belize’s complete lack of fast food.  There is not a single set of golden… View Post

Four weeks ago today, I had an abdominal surgery to remove painful adhesions that had developed after my four c-sections.  When I was discussing the procedure with my trusted doctor of nineteen years, she suggested, “If you want, we could do a tummy tuck at the same time!” Heck yeah! Who wouldn’t want their fat gut cut away?  And so,… View Post

My father-in-law recently posted on Facebook, “We will no longer be called Hillbilly Rednecks.  We will henceforth be known as Appalachian Americans.” When I married, I wasn’t sure how Appalachian American would mesh with my sensible German heritage, but it has worked out pretty well.  Ultimately, whether you drink moonshine or beer, you have the same end result.  Babies.    Not… View Post

My seventeen-year-old son is a genius. I’m not just saying that as a proud mother who can’t see the reality of her own off-spring. I have five kids. Two are going to go far in life because they work hard to reach their goals.  One of them, hopefully, will at least be able to marry for money. And one of… View Post