Obituaries

It was Easter Sunday (also April Fools' Day). We walked into church and the first thing Ginnie and I heard from the door greeters was, ?We have a calf for you!? (No, this was not an April Fools joke.)Oh, boy! My day could not have been made any happier, and it was already happy because of Easter.The church was packed to overflowing. I had a hard time paying attention to the sermon because my mind was making ...

Gardeners in Henry County could use some encouraging words, or better yet, some encouraging weather!I write this on a snowy day. As I look over the forecast for the week ahead, I see expected high temperatures from 44 to 70 degrees. Apparently our challenges will continue.The most encouraging counsel that I can offer is to look to the resilience of plants. I have stepped outside on some recent mornings to find ...

By Rev. Jim Hughes Prov. 15:16 It is better to have little with fear for the LORD than to have great treasure with turmoil. NLTIt is far better to live in humility and be respectful of God than it is to have great wealth. When we are right with God, there is a peace and contentment that cannot be found anywhere else. The soul that fears God honors Him. He is more focused on living to please God than he is ...

This week, Malaysia enlisted a strategy to cut down plastic waste in grocery stores.A British supermarket group Tesco unveiled the ?unforgettable bag,? a bag with a bar code that provides customers discounts for reusing their shopping bag for every trip. The bag has been rolled out in 11 Tesco stores in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur and the southern state of Johor in an effort to shift away from single-use ...

I've written about happiness before. In fact, that's how I met Ginnie. It was from that first article I wrote about happiness. She sent me an email concerning happiness and, quick like Curtis thinks, I asked her if she would like to have lunch. She naively agreed.I had fabricated a story that I would be in Ottumwa for an insurance appointment (which is where Ginnie lived at the time). You see, I can discern a ...

I was born on one of the coldest days in January and if you ask my two younger sisters, that is no coincidence. If you ask me, it is. I like to think I was the warmth on that cold day in Peoria, Ill. I was several hours late to my own birth, and if you ask my mother, that is no coincidence. If you ask me, I'd have to tell you she's right.She always tells me I'm going to be late to my own funeral. Once again, ...

Many prophecies about the Messiah began with Isaiah, about 750 years before Jesus lived as Emmanuel ? God with us.When reading stories of Jesus' public ministry, you may have noticed that he seldom identified himself as the Messiah. We look at the stories today and wonder why he didn't. It was true, so why didn't he simply announce and proceed from there?It was because there was a difference of interpretation. ...

?Spory, huh?? The man said inspecting my debit card. ?What is that, Greek??I was baffled, to say the least. First of all, I'd never had anyone inspect my driver's license that closely, let alone my debit card. And at a farmers market no less. Secondly, Greek? That was definitely a first. I'd been asked before if I was Jewish and one college professor swore up and down I was Polish, even speculating what village ...

I needed Ginnie to help me string the electric chicken wire fence ?- her to hold the roll while I shoved the stakes in the ground. I figured it would be a good time for her and me to work together outdoors, on the farm, in the fresh air. I was right.It was rather cold and windy the morning of our fence building, so we had to bundle up properly. I spied Ginnie stuffing facial tissue in her coat pocket to blow her ...

By Jean Thomson Spring weather thus far has generally proved to be cool indeed ? too cool even for some of the cool-loving vegetable plants. However, it is a good time to be thinking about planting possibilities so that we can seize the opportunities that may arise.Cole crops such as broccoli and cabbage grow best in daytime temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees. While they do not flourish in the heat of ...