Service Isn’t Always Fun
I used to have two pear trees in our yard, the hard kind of pears meant more for cooking and canning than for eating fresh. They were faithful trees. Every season they produced, and...
Category: Nature
Hidden Thorns
This year on our annual dove hunt in George West—a trip my husband and I take every September with my brother-in-law Kit and his wife Marsha—I had no idea God was going to teach...
Strong Spiritual Current
Yesterday afternoon’s clouds gave way to today’s brilliant, cool morning, one that could only be described as a gift for this usually humid corner of Texas. Wrapped in a light jacket, I walked through...
Barriers
I love to walk on the beach. It’s therapeutic for me. The sound of the waves, the warmth of the sun, and the gentle rhythm of my steps all seem to calm my spirit....
Refined
I bent down to pick up a piece of sea glass gleaming among the shells. Once, it had been part of something whole—a bottle, maybe, or a jar. But somewhere along the way, it...
The Gift of Time
If someone were to ask me to name one of my goals in life, one of them would be this: that my grandchildren, long after I’m gone, would look back on memories of me...
Covered
A couple of years ago, I stopped buying bagged mulch for my flower beds. Instead, I began using what God was already providing around me—pine straw. As the pines shed their needles, I rake...
Broken Pieces
Inspiration always comes during long walks surrounded by nature. My husband recently gifted me a new shotgun designed for individuals with petite frames. On this day, my walk brought me past our go to...
Long Season of Ugly
The only kind of plants I’ve ever been truly good at growing are ferns. My mother loved them, and I grew up watching her care for hers. The first thing she taught me was...
Deeply Rooted Weeds
One of my favorite times of year is early fall, when the hot, humid Texas nights finally cool into the 60s and that crispness lingers through the morning. It’s the perfect time to head...