In the heart of Maybole, Scotland, there is an old collegiate church, where the ancient kings of Carrick were buried. It's over 800 years old, is in ruins, and is also surrounded by an old cemetery, which is still looked after by the town … Read more

I live in permanent gratitude for a message I heard as a little girl in church years ago. By Bible verses and large vivid drawings, it was illustrated what happens when farmers plowing a field keep their eyes to the front: straight, even … Read more

Years ago, when I was in seminary, I was amongst a group of divinity students who had arranged a meeting with shop stewards from the ship builders in Glasgow. The men we met were rugged and coarse, and had spent all of their lives … Read more

Last Wednesday, I went to a feed store to buy some seeds. By this time in the summer, most garden shops are out of seeds, so I was delighted to get some for a second planting to replenish my salad garden. The next evening, one mean … Read more

I was in a queue at a set of traffic lights in town. We were stationary, so I looked expectantly towards the red lights in front of me, when a movement in the car in front of me caught my eye. It turned out to be a woman who had leaned … Read more

Sometimes people can't handle the truth. I know that I hate being criticized, especially when it's true. I get all defensive and begin to fluster. I get angry inside, and I want to go on the offensive, beating down my opponent with strong … Read more

I like to garden — but I don't like pulling weeds. I especially don't like pulling up weed trees that are growing in the middle of a flower bed or vegetable garden. Even more, I detest uprooting volunteer trees that shoot off roots of a … Read more

The World Health Organization works hard to keep us aware of the latest flu epidemic possibilities. We are cautioned to get the flu shot, wash our hands to a couple of choruses of "Happy Birthday", stay away from crowds, and sneeze into … Read more

If you've ever seen the movie, Chariots of Fire, you'll know that it's about Great Britain's highly successful 1924 Olympic sprinting team. The movie focuses on two runners, Harold Abrahams from England and Eric Liddell from Scotland. … Read more

When my children were small, I found them the most wonderful red tent. It was a little pup tent that had a floor which fit over their mattress like a fitted bottom sheet. The tent zippered up and was just like an outside tent except it … Read more