Reading Life Between the Lines
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the cure for grumpiness
The clock was saying 3:33 p.m. I saw no good omen in the triple three play. I saw nothing optimistic about three-fourths of my day at work behind me. I saw no reason to focus on the joy of soon going home to cat and husband. All I knew was that my contract designer was Read more
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a good day that got better
The day began as the Sabbath, giving it a jumpstart of goodness. Slept in. Had breakfast in bed. Read. Went to church. Cooked lunch with my son–a Sabbath ritual that’s super special to me. And then I found this at my doorstep. No note. Just a purple bag of yummies and purple flowers. The purple Read more
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The Woman in the Trunk
My most memorable journeys have been those punctuated by stories of people I’ve met along the way. This one happened at It’s a Burl in Kerby. I almost drove right by the hodgepodge of wood carvings piled along the roadside and the tall strange structure that spewed purple waters into a frothy pool. But I’m Read more
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lessons from thatha
On the shores of the Arabian Sea, the little village sits, tucked at India’s side. To the north of the common well live the fishermen, to the south the weavers. Thatha* lived on the south side, on Weavers’ Street. Neither a fisherman nor a weaver, he technically didn’t belong. He lived there though, for more Read more
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growing up fowler
Visiting my parents, I see little things about my dad that remind me of why I love to learn new things: The dominant sound of breakfast is BBC on the TV (When I was little it was BBC on dad’s Grundig shortwave) The basement is for books, as is every available wall space and corner Read more
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holding it together
Holding it together when you’re running low on energy, patience, time and Christ-likeness is not an easy task. How does one hold it together? Here are some ideas: 1. Take small bites; Whether it’s a sandwich or a major project, tackle it little at a time–with small rewarding breaks in between. 2. Take time to Read more
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measuring life with potato chips and cheesecake
My first few months of missionary life in Nepal were awful. I felt trapped, imprisoned and deprived of necessities like heat in my home, television sitcoms, hot showers, high speed interne, and people who used deodorant. But most of all I was outraged that there was no potato chips or cheesecake. Unable to imagine six Read more
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jenny and the judges
What happened, when I was 14, to the family that lived behind our home and how my mother reacted to the whole drama taught me a lesson in Christian living. The family consisted of a single mother and her two daughters, Mary and Jenny. Mary was quiet, complacent and obedient. Jenny was head-strong, opinionated, and Read more
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the pharisee and the penny
The secret of perfect pizza and Cinnabons is in the dough. And I’ve never been able to get the dough right from scratch. Far away from modern grocers and frozen bread dough, it took 12-year-old Jenny to find a solution to my predicament: Buy dough instead of doughnuts. After healing from the slap to my Read more
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10 things I loved when I was 10 I’ll enjoy even at 100
1. Anything mango 2. Anything chocolate 3. Furry little non-shedding things that go “woof” (and not meow) 4. A good laugh 5. Colored pencils and a coloring book 6. Sassy, snarky comments 7. Clean, crisp white sheets 8. Balloons 9. Train rides 10. The Reader’s Digest Read more
SAYS FYL 