I can’t remember what it was about. I can’t remember who was in it. All I remember is that it was a happy place. Relaxing. Peaceful. Serene. Everything good dreams are made of. TapTapTapTapTap. Each poke of her little index finger on my shoulder hit the elevator button on my slumber, bringing me up from […]

Out of the elevator and rounding the corner on the 2nd floor of Carillon House, Emma spots her first. “Daddy, look! There’s Hazel!” Annie and Emma take off running to give her a hi and a hug. At the other end of the long hall, sitting in her wheelchair, is Hazel. She came here a […]

Years ago my good friend Fred told me about a delightful conversation he had with his then 3-year old grandson, Nathan. Nathan was just about to have another birthday. “Grandpa, I don’t want to be 4. I want to stay 3.” “Why is that?” “Because after you turn 4, then you turn 5.” “What’s wrong with […]

Years ago in the church I attended back in Iowa I had my first experience with nursery duty. While I am now a pro and can handle anything and everything related to kids, back then I was only comfortable as long as they were happy. It was that crying thing that I was afraid of. After raising […]

“So I’m not four anymore?” “No, Annie. You’re five now. Happy Birthday!” For weeks Annie and Emma have been talking about how they would soon be five years old. Now that the day is here, they seem a tiny bit wistful pondering that being five means they are no longer four. I understand that. We […]

The extra cars parked in front of the house could have been there for any reason. A gathering of friends to watch Monday Night Football. A Pampered Chef party. A Neighborhood Watch meeting. Maybe even a Bible study. There’s lots of houses in this valley of 3 million people and more cars than houses. So […]

It was July of 1989. En route to Milwaukee for a business meeting I decided to take a few extra days to visit old acquaintances along the way. While in Chicago I had opportunity to spend time with some dear college friends. On Friday evening we met for dinner at Timone’s, an authentic old neighborhood […]

   A pleasant discovery upon moving to the Phoenix valley was how much life exists in the desert. God has created a number of both plants and animals to thrive in this climate. One enjoyable way to get some exercise during the months October through May, the time when it isn’t a gazillion degrees hot, […]