Football: It's just a game. But, it's our family's game. We will spend the next five months talking football, watching football games on television and traveling to games, close and far away. The end of August starts football season and we are pumped up. I'm invested in two teams and their coaches - Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders, heat football coach at the University of Colorado Boulder, and Creede Wylie, assistant coach for the D team at New Mexico Highlands University. Why am I invested? Sanders…

Closing time will come for all of us. I said to my youngest daughter, "Jeannie Seeley died yesterday." My daughter said, "I'm sorry. Your friend was so young." "No, she was my age. You know, she was a friend, not personal, but a western singer on the 'Old Gospel Hour' with Bill Anderson." My daughter laughed, "Mother, you were so matter-of-fact, I thought she was your friend from the past. You've got to get out more. You need a life." I have a life. I have a wonderful life. Getting older is not …

In the writers' group, we were presented with five prompts to loosen our creative memory and write, "Take 15 minutes to jot down a story or experience. We'll have fun reading them. Choose one." I chose, "What were you thinking?" Several writers chose the same prompt. "What were you thinking?" became stories about accumulating junk and being burdened by stuff with no benefit for us today. It's amazing what we've collected over a lifetime that seemed important at the time we acquired it. Some of u…

On the way to the writers’ group, my daughter pointed to the east side of the road, “Mother, look.” Perched on a hill on U.S. 84 stood a wooden cross. Two pieces of wood nailed together, standing like a sentinel, guarding the valley. I don’t know who planted it, but it captured my heart, and I love it. It’s a quiet reminder that Jesus is watching over us. That he died and gave His life for us. That cross gives us courage and encouragement as we face trouble throughout the day. What thoughtful so…

My Sweet Al and I have climbed our mountains and have bunions, blisters and banged-up knees to prove it. Lately, we have been climbing little hills. Our hearts are full with a fulfilled life, and still a lot of life remains in us. We continue to run with passion for Jesus, but we understand where we are. A prayer is always on our lips and we are fortified for battle. At night, we look for a soft pillow to lay our heads. We enjoy the sweet gospel music that soothes us and gives us a restful sleep…

This year our family found itself in a new place, working together with love and respect for the good of the whole. We’ve always stayed tight-knit, but, in 2024, we face a different kind of trauma that deepened the way we appreciated and supported each other. Each family member, doing their part, gave extra energy and kindness to two old people, impaired, slowly healing, but aging and needing extra attention – a lot to deal with. The automobile accident last August happened to us all – everyone …