Opinion

Newspaper & Laptop

The Community Newspaper

When I was growing up in the early 1980s, we had a weekly newspaper in our town. There was a woman assigned to cover our little neighborhood. I remember her calling each week to ask my mother what was new in our family. Did Jeremy make the honor roll this quarter? Had we gone on vacation recently? Did we get a new pet? She would take this information from anyone in the neighborhood who was willing to share it and would write a column each week. When the paper came out on Wednesdays, my mother was always excited to read what was going on in the neighborhood. Everyone on our street knew each other. We played outside with the kids every day until dusk. My parents were in a bowling league with our neighbors. We had a block party in the street in the summer. When a new family moved in everyone welcomed them and introduced themselves. I guess you could say it was a great community.

Bible and lily

Focus on Faith – Faith doesn’t mean controlling God 

I believe there are some Christians who may have a misunderstanding of what faith is. There are some that think if they have enough faith, God will do whatever they ask God to do.  So when a crisis comes up, they try to move God into action with their faith.  When an emergency comes up, they try to use faith like a rope to slip around God’s neck to force their will on God.  And when disaster comes, they try to use faith like a button they push to nudge God into action.  And when God doesn’t respond the way they expect, they become disappointed with God and feel like God has let them down.  And for some, when God isn’t doing what they think God should do, they stop praying, reading the Bible and even coming to church.  

confused brain

Bits & Pieces – A lost mind is not pretty

Our minds are a fascinating organ, one that works amazingly and sometimes it can be pretty scary.

I am one of “those” people who usually have too much commotion going on at the same time in my brain. I think it’s called chaos. We still function, do some things fairly correctly, yet our brain is working on the next event, next move, next comment, planning a meal, pick up the kids, trying to remember appointments and listen to someone else tell us how their day is going.

Good Growing – Garden trends for the new year 

The internet is a wild place full of an endless amount of information, ideas, opinions, advice, arguments, and more. Tangled in this web, it will come as no surprise that my favorite spaces are those that relate to plants. I’ve been known to have many, many pages open in my browser window that relate to a vast expanse of horticulture topics. As I read through articles to answer one question, inevitably, more questions develop, which demand research and so on and so forth.

Snowman

Bits & Pieces – Still a lot of winter left

One thing for sure----winter has officially arrived!

There’s a lot of haters out there about winter and the cold weather, but that’s understandable. I’ve always been a winter person and always chose cold weather over hot, humid weather. While many would stand toe-to-toe with me defending their reasoning for summer weather, I always held my ground.

Hands on the bible

Focus on Faith – Whose inscription is this?

Every January 1 is a challenge regarding having to remember the date has changed. Over the course of 12 months, the current year gets embedded in our brains. I would go so far as to say 11 months. . . because the first month is all about figuring out the year has changed.

Winter House

Good Growing – A pop quiz written by a winter hermit

We are only a few weeks into the new year and 2024 has already brought an actual winter! At least for now. In the prolonged cold of this past week, going outside has been, well painful. Being stuck inside I have gotten so much accomplished! We organized our storage totes, I got that window trim repaired. I even got to finish a puzzle! It’s been years since I’ve been able to finish a puzzle.

citrus fruits: Lemons, Oranges and Limes.

Good Growing – Cultivating sunshine: Growing citrus indoors

As we hunker down for winter, some of us may begin longing for summer’s warm, sunny days. Perhaps it’s the cold weather or the desire to return to gardening. Whatever the reason, there are plenty of opportunities to continue our gardens indoors. While we often associate citrus with warmer climates (and possibly Christmas stockings), it is possible to grow citrus in Illinois at home as a houseplant.

bible and cross

Focus on Faith – Moved with compassion

In the Gospel account of Matthew there is recorded a story that takes place as Jesus is headed up to Jerusalem where he will be arrested, tried, and crucified. In the book of Matthew, chapter 20, verses 29-34, we find Jesus travelling the ancient route that Joshua took as he went into the Promised land some 1400 years earlier. Along the road he passes through the ancient city of Jericho and as he departs from the city, he comes upon two blind men who cried out to him from the side of the road. Having heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out loudly and according to Matthew chapter 20, verse 30, they cried out for mercy and they called him “Lord, thou Son of David.”

Socked feet by the fireplace.

Bits & Pieces – Going from old to modern

Winter is here! Although many complain, it’s still going to happen every year as long as you live in this part of the nation.

There are also a lot of complaints about the days being so short and Daylight Savings Time should be all year long, not just eight months. I will never go for DST all year long!