Category: Devotions
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A Gift for My Dying Mother – Matthew 6:19-21
A few days before she died, with the room full of talkative family members, Mom cracked a line that made my jaw drop. Befuddled, I didn’t know whether to laugh at her joke or cry. The conversation was about buying more Christmas gifts, but her remark silenced everyone. At that point Mom only wanted to…
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How One Woman Left Her Mark – Job 23:12
Have you thought about your influence continuing even after you’ve passed away? My grandmother’s legacy lives, her existence leaving a lasting impression that still speaks to me today. Grandma Kocher left her mark in many ways. Her first husband, my grandfather Chester Sheldon, taught school in Prosser, Washington in the late 1920s. One of our…
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I’m Not the Grandma I Thought I Would Be – Philippians 4:12-13
This isn’t how I thought grandparenting would be. My grandmothers and my mom did it so well. My own grand-mothering started out to be much like theirs, but chronic pain soon changed my course. For a few years I was able to help care for my grandchildren as I thought grandmas should. I carried them,…
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When There’s Fear in the Shadows – Psalm 23:3-4
Sometimes being in the dark is fun. When I’m playing with my grandchildren I allow my imagination to run a little wild. I jump behind a tree or freeze in the shadows so they won’t easily find me. Other times the shadows make me afraid. I’m in a place now where I don’t know the…
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The Best Reason to Rejoice – Luke 10:17-20
It’s satisfying to reach a goal, like when I showed sample pages of my manuscript to my dream editor – and he asked to see more. Or when my publisher offered me a devotional contract. It was also rewarding to pose with dozens of other finalists for the Oregon Christian Writers Cascade award, though I…
