Author: Kirsti Sipila

I was not hurrying to clean up my home as usual before Christmas. I was procrastinating, putting it off — I would get to it later. Not having the same pep as before, I was slow in getting the usual … Read more

It is not unusual to hear a troubadour on the street playing and singing for the people passing by. Even from a distance away, amid the traffic, one can hear the melody of the guitar and the voice of the … Read more

I spend a lot of time looking out my seventh-floor window. I have never lived in this high a place before. It is as if I am perched high above a panorama opening to my field of vision. Amongst the … Read more

Another humid summer day with scorching sunshine was challenging. A cold water bottle was growing hot, and a towel was needed to dry up the drips. The ground was sizzling as the sun kept sending more of its rays of … Read more

I have come to realize a lack of self-study. Just when I think I have it all together, something happens to make me see a need for a deeper inner look at myself. In a given situation, I often fail … Read more

It was one of those Sunday mornings when I was tempted to stay home. A small spiritual battle was taking place, like a tug-of-war. A pretext lifted its ugly head, and it was a fight. I had recently moved from … Read more

Long ago, I began the habit of keeping a record of ailments and illnesses that had come to visit me. The list is long, including measles, mumps as an adult, viral infections, surgery, and pneumonia. I also began to keep … Read more

By an unexpected incident, I ended up visiting in a well-kept and stylish retirement home. Standing at the nicely-carved front entrance, I waited to be let in. The plush carpets, leather chairs, sofas, and mahogany furniture were many grades up … Read more

One day as I was sitting in a group having coffee, the talk of the hour circled around homemade bread. Hands literally acted as if making the bread — kneading, folding — dark rye, white, corn bread. One could taste … Read more

At the dawn of the new day, I am awakened to the chirping of birds. Crickets are still loudly sending their nightly messages. These sounds remind me of our loving God, the God who created the heavens and the earth … Read more