HOME Winter is definitely still with us. Snow has been falling since early this morning, and with gray skies, it looks like we could be in for an all day snow. (A nice change from the dirty winter-tired layers of melting gray stuff we've looked at for weeks now.) It's...

A TASTE OF HEAVEN Last Thursday night, the Methow Valley where I live in N. Central Washington hosted the Harlem Gospel Choir. I wish you could have joined me in The Barn, our community auditorium for this amazing evening. All I could think of was "this is just a...

Waiting on God Waiting has always been one of my least favorite activities. Mostly because waiting is just waiting and doesn't require any specific action. You simply have to wait. It seems easier when you can do something specific to encourage the desired result. You...

LET US GIVE THANKS! After a several month hiatus, I'm back to report on all the latest developments here in our small, rural town. Winter is setting in, and the main mountain pass that links us to the western Washington world (mainly Seattle) has closed for the...

Remembering MelissaI think it was buying pop the other night with those free Pepsi product bottle caps that made me think of my friend Melissa.Melissa had a collection of those bottle caps--mostly because she was always asking me if I had any extras. We had a cooler...

Freedom!Mel Gibson's war-painted face in the movie Braveheart comes to mind. His anguished freedom cry as he leads the battle charge, is one you don't easily forget. Freedom costs. Just look through the pages of history books. Wherever there is freedom, there has been...

Smiling CountryRandy and I have the privilege of living in Washington's beautiful Methow Valley. They call it the Smiling Country, aptly named because of the big blue skies and sun-drenched valley tucked at the base of the North Cascades.Randy and I smiled the first...

DadWednesday, Flag Day, was my dad's 80th birthday. When I drove through our sleepy downtown (all of one street) early that morning, flags bedecked nearly every building. I smiled and thought of Dad. How did he get to be 80, I wonder?Just the other day, it seems, he...

GraceMy co-worker "lost it" at work yesterday. Another staff person provoked her with a comment that set her off. Stress had frayed everyone's nerves. The ensuing scene escalated like an out-of-control wildfire--a reminder of the damage that can be done by our...

Blogger 101Hi! This is my first attempt at blogging--well, I actually tried the other day, and my "post"got lost somewhere in the blogosphere. So, I'm back again, undaunted, though very technologically challenged. Thanks for bearing with me!I chose One Step Further...