A Walk Through the Parables: The Samaritan

September 8, 2014 by

As an army family, being “neighborly” can be something of an awkward situation.

It is no secret when a family moves in or out of the neighborhood. The massive amounts of flying cardboard and huge semi trucks loading up thousands of pounds of personal belongings kind of give it away.

Being neighborly on post is not an easy task. Most of the time, folks keep pretty much to themselves. I am sure it is because they (ok we) are all busy and the effort it takes to build a relationship when they are probably moving to a new duty station in the next 12 seconds is, well, a lot of work.

But we try to be good neighbors. We really do. Sometimes it is well received, other times they just eat our “Welcome to the neighborhood” chicken dinner and we never hear from them again. (And they may or may not keep the Tupperware containers we served it in.)

Here’s the deal: We don’t have to be in the army to be neighborly. Heck, we don’t even have to be neighborly to only those in our neighborhood.  [Read more…]

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A Walk Through the Parables: The Weeds of Life

July 28, 2014 by

A Walk through the parables

I have recently discovered that yard work is somewhat therapeutic for me. That realization alone is kind of a big deal, since during my childhood yard work was one of my most dreaded chores, right up there with cleaning bathrooms.

But now that we are grown-uppish with our “own” home, at least until the army says otherwise, I enjoy watering the grass, dreaming about planting more flowers (when the budget allows) and yes, even weeding the flower garden. [Read more…]

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A Walk through the Parables: Lost is Found!

July 21, 2014 by
Lost and Found - Laura Johns

Photo via Laura Johns @ Flickr

I like to think that I am a gal that has it pretty together. Ish.

I keep my task list nearby.  I make a menu each week to keep things organized (and to make grocery shopping a less-harried experience.) I try to stick to a cleaning schedule to keep our house kind of sort of minimally maintained on weekly basis.

If something is lost, usually I know just where to look. Which is really good news, because finding lost items is not my Beloved husband’s forte. (He is usually the one losing stuff… “Hey lover, have you seen my wallet/phone/keys/etc?) [Read more…]

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How Does your Garden Grow? (Parable of the Sower)

July 14, 2014 by

A Walk through the parablesWhen I was growing up, I had a love-hate relationship with that precious spring Saturday when all signs (from my mother) pointed to the fact that it was garden planting day.

I loved going to the greenhouse and picking out the little plants and seeds. I hated the work that would soon ensue.

I loved the thought of tasty veggies in a few months, but I hated the wait.

I loved the variety of our family’s garden: Strawberries, blackberries, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, peppers, corn, green beans, okra, onions… But hated when the bugs took out some of my favorite varieties.

I loved playing in the dirt, but hated the “rules” that had to be followed for the plants to survive and thrive.

I loved watering the garden, but hated dragging the hose all over Timbuktu to get it there.

Yes, it was a love-hate relationship.

Now, I miss having a garden– even the hard work that it included. We live on post with a teeny tiny backyard and there really isn’t much space for a garden.

But I still dream… And sometimes those dreams weave their way into my spiritual life. [Read more…]

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