Obituaries

Dec. 12 is hard for 62-year old Susie Clark. It's the date her teenage daughter, Lisa, passed away 15 years ago. Memories come flooding back, like the murky water spilling over the dam at Oakland Mills. It can be a Christmas tree ornament or a note found from years past or Christmas music that trigger the memories lying just beneath the surface.I published Susie Clark's story in my Empty Nest column a little ...

By Jean Thomson December is a lighter month for gardeners, but it still is a gardening month. Fortunately, given busy schedules with other tasks, some of the gardening activities are completely optional.For example, you may have developed a personal wish list of desirable garden tools and gloves, but it is entirely up to you whether you share it with family and friends. Similarly, you might choose to cut back ...

My podcast momentarily faded out as a faint chirp indicated there was breaking news. My eyes broke away from my computer screen just as the news alert scrolled across the screen of my iPhone.Matt Lauer had been fired from the 'Today' show.I didn't even need to read the story to guess why he had been fired. Another day, another man I had admired accused of sexual misconduct.In October, a slew of women came ...

I was leaning on the tailgate of the pickup, talking on my smartphone, when there was a flurry, squawk and something gripped my shoulder like a claw. I'll be danged if a hen hadn't flown up and landed on my shoulder. She seemed to be really curious about the phone I was holding, and inched her way down my arm to where she could get a better look at what I was holding.?What the heck?? I thought. ?No one's going ...

Psalms 24:3-6, ?Who may climb the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the LORD's blessing and have right standing with God their savior. They alone may enter God's presence and worship the God of Israel.?Who may climb to the mountain where God is? Who dares to approach God, whose ...

Thank Goodness It's Thanks Giving! I know, Thanksgiving is one word, but I wanted to do a spinoff of TGIF.November is a memorable month for me, and I have a lot to be thankful for. Twenty-eight years ago this November, I was so drunk in my own home, I fell and crashed through the glass top of my coffee table, cut myself to smithereens and nearly bled to death. Outside of that, I didn't have a problem with drugs ...

I Thess. 5:16-18, ?Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.?I don't know about you, but I wish the Lord had not put that word always in this verse. How can anyone always be anything, let alone joyful? Maybe the key to success is found in the next sentence. Keep on praying. Prayer certainly helps us to be joyful. How ...

When I first read the news about the shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, last Sunday, Nov. 5, I immediately checked the validity of the story and then the questions began.What, if anything, did I need to say or do in response? Was prayer enough? What about the congregation I serve ? did we need policies and procedures about this or other emergencies that might arise? What in the world ...

I received a holiday card this week sent all the way from New York City.It was from my friend Billy. Unfortunately for me, I didn't meet Billy until my last few days in Manhattan, but we've kept in touch since I moved to Mt. Pleasant.It was a warm July afternoon when we met. I was sitting on a bench in Union Square Park. Benches lined each side of the cobblestone sidewalk, wrapping around a fenced-in grassy ...

As a journalist there are some stories or interviews that immediately go on your bucket list. For me, it was interviewing a World War II veteran.The summer of 2011 I was interning at the Waterloo Courier. One day in late July, my editor told me to run into Cedar Falls, there was a Korean War Veteran who was going to be receiving medals for his past service.Bob Welter lived in an assisted living facility near my ...