When you read this Warm Thoughts column, it will be just a couple of days before Mother's Day. Many families will be together on this special family day honoring their mother. Recently, I read an essay, a letter a mother wrote to her daughter. It touched my heart, and no doubt will be taped on a kitchen cabinet or refrigerator, and so I share it with my readers.
Episode 264: A Letter from A Mother →
When you read this Warm Thoughts column, it will be just a couple of days before Mother's Day. Many families will be together on this special family day honoring their mother. Recently, I read an essay, a letter a mother wrote to her daughter. It touched my heart, and no doubt will be taped on a kitchen cabinet or refrigerator, and so I share it with my readers.
Episode 263: The Joy of Spring →
As I write these lines, my thoughts are still centered on a hill outside Jerusalem. It is so overwhelming to realize God's love in our lives. Reflecting on Easter memories shared with family and friends, one finds in life meaning, purpose, hope, and love. Easter is the greatest celebration of the year, and should be celebrated every day. It is a joyous celebration of victory. The whole world becomes more beautiful at Easter time. For Easter ushers in spring, when all nature seemed as dead, there suddenly is life from brown branches and small twigs and stems tender green leaves come forth. The whole world is a veritable garden making a beautiful Easter offering.
Episode 262: Easter Reflection & Prayer →
As families throughout the world look forward to celebrating the Easter season, I'm overwhelmed with many warm thoughts and memories. Memories of the place where all the events of Holy Week took place are so real and meaningful to me. Many times I relived that experience of walking the Via Dolorosa, "the way of sorrows" when I was there on my pilgrimage to the Holy Land. We all are pilgrims.
Episode 261: The Power of Prayer →
When many of you read this column, it will be National Day of Prayer, and large and small groups throughout our nation will be praying for the future of our world. In America, these groups are found in homes, churches, offices, factories, schools and in state and national capitals. These groups believe that positive prayer is power, and that behind all leaders of church and state, there must be prayer.
Episode 257: World Day of Prayer →
Each year on the first Friday of the month of March, World Day of Prayer is held throughout the world. Women of every nation, creed and color, gather together in a place of worship to offer their prayers in word and song. They offer their prayers for peace and reconciliation and have become God's ambassadors and prayer warriors to the world. World Day of Prayer has touched the hearts of many throughout the world.
Episode 250: Fresh Dreams for the New Year →
This is the first Warm Thoughts column for 1998. An unknown author once wrote this New Year's thought, "What the new year will bring us depends a great deal on what we bring into the new year." Among the many Christmas greeting cards received were many warm thoughts: A Prayer for Peace. "Dear Lord, let this be a year that moves us one step closer to each other. Let this be a year that brings us understanding in our hearts. Let this be a year that fills us with a yearning, burning, feeling for peace with one another and a oneness, Lord, with you."
Episode 248: Singing in the Shepherd Hills →
Every year now, as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day approaches, my memories take me to the little town of Bethlehem. How special it was to be able to worship in a cave on the shepherd hills in Bethlehem, the night I worshiped in a cave on those Shepherd hills will long remain in my memories. We traveled the winding roads of those hills with Abraham as the driver of the bus called "the guiding star," and Elijah and Gabriel guided the driver as we sang those beautiful Christmas carols. It seems that the angels in heaven were helping us to sing on those Shepherd hills.
Episode 247: Christmas Epistles →
It is National Family Week. As I write this warm thoughts column, families have traveled from far and near to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. There is more travel over the Thanksgiving weekend than any other time of the year. How wonderful for families to be together and celebrate the family ties. Every day is a day to celebrate the family.
Episode 246: National Family Week →
It is National Family Week. As I write this warm thoughts column, families have traveled from far and near to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. There is more travel over the Thanksgiving weekend than any other time of the year. How wonderful for families to be together and celebrate the family ties. Every day is a day to celebrate the family.
Episode 245: That First Thanksgiving Day →
Thanksgiving Day. Have you wondered about that first Thanksgiving Day? I found it very interesting that 200 years ago, in 1789 George Washington declared November 26th the official day of Thanksgiving. This year, Thanksgiving falls on November 26th. After 1789, the States continued to celebrate on different days.
Episode 244: The Old Fashioned Thanksgiving →
Are you making preparation for the family Thanksgiving? This week, I will share some thoughts from the book, "Just Folks," by a very favorite author, Edgar A Guest.
Episode 242: Make a Difference →
A recent warm thoughts column provided information about Make a Difference Day, which is October 26th. It is a day when everyone is encouraged to make a difference in their community and world by making it a Day of Caring, an annual National Day of helping others. Across the nation, about 1 million Americans will help others on this Make a Difference Day.
Episode 241: More than Money →
While in southern Nebraska on a weekend retreat, my daughter called the Little Home on the Prairie from Texas. Thanks to answering machines, she informed me that in their area in Texas, they got their first cold front. The temperature got to a lovely 70 degrees. I also was made aware that Boulder, Colorado had a storm, no school, and in Denver, many of the trees were destroyed because of an ice storm. And my friend in Florida informs me about the challenges their state experiences in Love Bug month. This time traveling back home throughout the heartland of America, I saw many fields not yet ready for harvest that had been damaged by the early frost. It brought back memories of the challenging years that many of us experienced as a child in those years of depression, which now seem to be history.
Episode 240: Towards a Society of All Ages →
A recent article I read states that the United Nations General Assembly has designated 1999 as International Year of Older Persons. The theme will be "Towards a Society of All Ages." This theme was chosen to promote the philosophy that societies should be inclusive in nature, should embrace all population groups, and share their resources equally. October 1st, 1998 will be the day that the UN launches this year long celebration, which is also the International Day of Older Persons, having its beginning in 1990.
Episode 239: We Are Survivors →
Recently, one of the readers of this column from Texas sent me an article entitled, "We Are Survivors: Consider the Changes We Witnessed." I thought it appropriate to share some of the thoughts from this article. Individuals who were born prior to 1945 will especially understand the changes in their lives.
Episode 237: Count Your Blessings →
Some time ago, a dear friend and great grandma who has faced many emotional challenges in her life, shared some thoughts about counting. This dear friend regularly reads this Warm Thoughts column and wanted to share the thoughts by an unknown author with all you dear readers out there, somewhere. We live in an age where we have many choices and changes. Some time ago, I heard someone state that "pain is inevitable, but misery and being miserable is a choice." In the School of learning and hard knocks, the following thoughts may warm our hearts and perhaps motivate us in our own countdown.
Episode 236: The Challenges of Aging →
Recently, I read a very interesting article on the challenges of aging. Studies by the experts state that "the generation who are celebrating their 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries have succeeded in kicking the blabbers out of the stereotypes of aging." Perhaps this can be explained by one word - attitude. The experts stated, "the attitudes of a 70-year-old today are equivalent to those of a 50-year-old, but only a decade or two ago." It is interesting how many couples are in their 50th, 60th and even 70th wedding anniversaries. More individuals are also reaching that century mark. The late George Burns stated, "I see people who, the minute they get to be 60, start rehearsing to be old. They practice when they sit down and grunting when they get up, and by the time they get to be 70, they're a hit. They've got the part - they're old."
Episode 235: See a Silver Lining in Every Cloud →
August is the time of year that families take that last fling and perhaps go to the mountains before school starts. It is often a quiet time of reflection, a time to reflect on many happy summertime activities. At a quiet moment, I discovered some beautiful thoughts by an unknown author that I'd like to share with my loyal readers of the Warm Thoughts column.
Episode 234: Learning Over a Cup of Tea →
Summertime. Good old summertime! It is a good time to get in some summer reading. My grandchildren from Ohio sent me the book, "If Tea Cups Could Talk," by Emily Barnes. I have enjoyed reading the many warm thoughts in this book over a cup of tea. I've also had many special moments with the grandchildren, as we have our tea party.