I was recently given the opportunity to do some hiking in the Great Smokey Mountains. We had decided we wanted to see Rainbow Falls, which boasted of dazzling rainbows if you were fortunate to be there as the sunlight hits the water cascading from a high drop.
The trail map claimed the trail we needed to take was only 2.7 miles long one way, and it was labeled...
On washday, despite all the modern conveniences available, some of us who do laundry still do not use a mechanical dryer. For one reason or another, we prefer to hang it out on a line to dry.
That is the end of a busy process. Before washing, we check the laundry over for spots, and where possible we treat them beforehand. We add detergent, sometimes bleach, to...
As women in God’s Church, when we look around our congregations we see people of different ages, different ethnicities, different socio-economic backgrounds, and different personalities. We can see that God is calling people from all walks of life. Certainly, God loves variety!
Do you remember that old caution, “Do you know where your children are?” Well, I am asking you as a Christian mother, “Do you know what your children are reading?” Many mothers do not know—and, sadly, many teachers do not know or even care, as long as the children are reading.
It was silly of me, really. There I was, walking along, running my mouth like a typical teenage girl, not watching where I was going, when all of a sudden, BAM! My shin smacked hard into a big rock in my path. How I missed seeing it, I still don’t know to this day. However, it was from that incident that I learned a very important life lesson.
There is a recent trend involving young girls, ages 8 to 14. These children make a video asking viewers, “Am I pretty or ugly?” and post it on the Internet. There are approximately 500,000 videos on YouTube posted by preteen and teenage girls who ask viewers this question and solicit brutally honest feedback on their appearance. These videos are a symptom of a...
When I was in sixth grade, I remember the teacher going around the room asking all the students what they wanted to be when they grew up. When it came my turn, I stood up and proudly said I wanted to be a mom and rear my children. I do not remember exactly what the teacher said. All I remember is the impression I got from her that I should "aim a little higher."
Grandmother Willa was a positive influence in my life. She was principled, yet understanding; helpful, but not overly demonstrative; instructional, but not confrontational. The stains on the kitchen ceiling of her small two-bedroom Cape Cod testified to her love of canning and food preparation for family dinners, and that she endeavored to provide for herself...
Recent events in my life have led me to think a lot about serving and giving. My husband became very ill and was in and out of hospitals for a short time. The hospital stays were brutal, but the real work began when he was released and we went home. Caring for my husband and trying to maintain our home at “my” standard was leaving me exhausted to the point that...
The role of women in society has been greatly misunderstood throughout history, which has caused the human family great sorrows. Today we see a gamut of ideas about women’s roles. There are some cultures in which women are considered little more than slaves and are denied basic rights. At the opposite end of the spectrum, we find radical feminists who advocate...
