A "Tiny" Walk

Rebekah, Tiny, and I ended a very full, very challenging, time-crunched, project-filled, three-day weekend with a nice long walk.

Here are some of the highlights for you to enjoy this morning.

Have a most blessed day - and remember to seek to out the blessings. They are there.

PHOTOS: April 27, 2022

Good morning!

As I've mentioned in the past, our family has moved several times since we lost our home in Channahon when Ron developed dementia.

We are now contemplating another move.

And it occurred to me yesterday morning, while searching through my photos for one that highlighted a social media post, that this might be our last spring in this very picturesque area, that the view on April 27, 2027, might look very different next year.

So I scrolled through my saved photos for images I took on April 27, 2022.

Because when moving forward, it's good to know from whence we came, not for reasons of looking back for too long (lest we become immobile), but to give us the courage and hope to move forward, that beauty and blessing lie in the future, too.

If you think about it, we really can only move forward, right?

Easter Sermon by St. John Chrysostom

John Chrysostom (347-407), and incidentally, "Chrysostom" means "golden mouth," because he was such an effective speaker, was an archbishop of Constantinople, who was exiled three times by the Empress Eudoxia for his frank and powerful sermons.

Others might say "tactless" sermons, but, either way, John was not one to tread lightly on the popular opinions of the day. His Paschal sermon is read every Easter at the Resurrection Matins service in Eastern Orthodox churches. It's rather brief by comparision to his other homilies, which often took several hours to deliver.

One beautiful thing I really like about the repetition in the Orthodox church is that the words become part of you and transform in meaning with each hearing. While I couldn't recite this sermon by heart, I can anticipate the next line whenever I hear or read it, and it's the quintessence of Easter, really. I just cannot imagine Easter without it.

Easter Homily

By St. John Chrysostom

Archbishop of Constantinople

349 – 407

Let all pious men and all lovers of God rejoice in the splendor of this feast; let the wise servants blissfully enter into the joy of their Lord; let those who have borne the burden of Lent now receive their pay, and those who have toiled since the first hour, let them now receive their due reward; let any who came after the third hour be grateful to join in the feast, and those who may have come after the sixth, let them not be afraid of being too late; for the Lord is gracious and He receives the last even as the first. He gives rest to him who comes on the eleventh hour as well as to him who has toiled since the first: yes, He has pity on the last and He serves the first; He rewards the one and praises the effort.

Come you all: enter into the joy of your Lord. You the first and you the last, receive alike your reward; you rich and you poor, dance together; you sober and you weaklings, celebrate the day; you who have kept the fast and you who have not, rejoice today. The table is richly loaded: enjoy its royal banquet. The calf is a fatted one: let no one go away hungry. All of you enjoy the banquet of faith; all of you receive the riches of his goodness. Let no one grieve over his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed; let no one weep over his sins, for pardon has shone from the grave; let no one fear death, for the death of our Saviour has set us free: He has destroyed it by enduring it, He has despoiled Hades by going down into its kingdom, He has angered it by allowing it to taste of his flesh.

When Isaias foresaw all this, he cried out: "O Hades, you have been angered by encountering Him in the nether world." Hades is angered because frustrated, it is angered because it has been mocked, it is angered because it has been destroyed, it is angered because it has been reduced to naught, it is angered because it is now captive. It seized a body, and, lo! it encountered heaven; it seized the visible, and was overcome by the invisible.

O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? Christ is risen and you are abolished. Christ is risen and the demons are cast down. Christ is risen and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen and life is freed. Christ is risen and the tomb is emptied of the dead: for Christ, being risen from the dead, has become the Leader and Reviver of those who had fallen asleep. To Him be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

Perfect Attendance

Every now and again, I hear a story about "perfect attendance."

The person with the perfect attendance could be a student, a board member, an employee, even family members, etc.

With the last few years in my life being a bit messy and complicated, I'm a bit jealous of anyone who can attain perfect attendance anywhere in his or her life. I've never accomplished it, not in anything.

But I also wonder about those who DO attain it: Do these people have less challenging lives? Are other people better at navigating challenges? Or are other priorities set aside to achieve that perfect attendance?

I'm sure there's no one, all-consuming answer here.

And I'm sure we've all felt torn at times, when we really were needed in two (or more) places in the same instant.

Perfect attendance certainly shows one's committment to school, organizations, work, family events.

But when two important situations intersect, which one gets the perfect attendance? 

At the crossroads, which direction do you choose?

Random Reflections on Service

For the second time since 2024, the area's MLK Day of Service has been cancelled due to dangerous cold temperatures.

While I'm certain that's disappointing to everyone involved - organiations, recipient agencies, and volunteers - if you think about it, even the cancellation is service - service to participants to keep them safe.

While we may often think of service as engaging in a service project or other activity, service comes in so many forms, as I discovered during the months in 2020 when I was writing this book.

Service can include:

* reaching out to someone lonely or staying away from someone who doesn't wish to see you

* providing a kind word, a prayer, and/or a listening word to someone who desperately needs them.

* a simple smile and "thank you" to anyone who's provided service to you, yes, even the bank teller person checking out your groceries. 

* taking the time during a busy day to walk around the block to move your body and clear your mind on a busy day.

* going to bed early to get enough rest or waking up early to reserve time for yourself.

* graciously receiving someone else's service to you

Each day is filled with unrecogized opportunities for service.

While a large event like MLK Day of Service provides the means to serve many people on a wide scale, the necessity of canceling such an event doesn't erase the fact that we and they benefit from our acts of service.

Let today be the start of a new pattern of service in your life.

Happy Monday!

Kid's Wish For A Corgi Puppy Comes True | Dodo Kids

Free Gifts You Can Give This Holiday Season

For many of us, 2025 has been a tough financial year - and for those of us who like to Christmas shop, we've either trimmed that list in terms of people and/or things.

But the best gifts very often cost nothing than our time - and sometimes even very little of our time.

Here's an opportunity for you for you to give thirty-one unique gifts this month.

Simply visit the BryonySeries calendar, pick a date (any date or the current date), read the giving prompt, and follow the instructions.

Yes, each activity does link back to a BryonySeries book. But that's only for context. You don't need to click the link at all (unless you're curious).

Even one of these activities is a priceless gift you can give to the right person on your Chirstmas gift-giving list.

And these gifts are the types of gifts that really underscore the adage, "It's more blessed to give than to receive."

If you've had recent challenges - or are experiencing challenges (I certainly have) - the reflections are a wonderful way to remind you of the blessings you've experienced - now and in thet past - and give hope of the blessings that await you in the future.

Now, if you do have a few dollars to spend, and if you'd like to give a gift of lasting value, here's a way to give children the gift of reading this year.

Happy Tuesday!

For Every Challenge Last Week, We Had An Equal or Greater Blessing (Part 1)

"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Newton's Third Law of Motion.

"For every challenge, there is an equal and opposite blessing." Denise M. Baran-Unland

So I took last week off last in a feeble attempt to use up some of my neglected vacation time before 2025 bids us all farewell.

Every day (if you can believe it), seriously every single day, brought a challenge we had to tackle.

But every single day also brought a blessing.

As I was documenting that in the blog I wanted to share with you today - you know, to encourage you - the entire thing (words, photo) disappeared from my eyes and was replaced with this message: "You can now write online."

And then even that message was gone.

For any writers reading this: What a great example of "show" instead of "tell."

Grumble.

Unfortunately, I don't have time to rewrite this blog now.

But I'm assuming the new version will be amazing.

And it will also include this morning's newest challenge.

Happy Monday!

Explore "Gratitude" This Month

Very few of us can say we've never been blessed.

But when life is hard, it's also sometimes harder to find and those appreciate those blessings.

Here's an opportunity for you.

Simply visit the BryonySeries calendar, pick a date (any date or the current date), read the prompt, and follow the instructions.

Yes, each reflection does link back to a BryonySeries book. But that's only for context.

Even one of the exercises has value. Or you may do them all.

If you've had recent challenges - or are experiencing challenges (I certainly have) - the reflections are a wonderful way to remind you of the blessings you've experienced - now and in thet past - and give hope of the blessings that await you in the future.

If you live in the Will County, Illinois, area, here's another way to celebrate gratitude this month.

Happy Monday!

"Cheer Up"

In May, a Korean actor whose talent I really admired passed away suddenly at the age of 68 with no cause of death listed.

One outlet said he suffered from anxiety, depression, and panic attacks. Another said he'd been battling a lung disorder.

A Reddit post with beautiful tributes to this actor had a warning not to speculate on the cause of death, that the posts were being scrutized and manually moderated.

That's how I learned how he had appeared in a lovely music video that was based on a true story.

The singer centered the song on the time her father, a university professor, became depressed after losing his job when she was in high school - and how she, in the video, becomes depressed after failing a job interview as an adult.

So I sought out the music video and watched it. Again and again and again.

For me, the experience of watching it appeared seamless: my grief at the unexpected and actual loss of the actor merged with the true story woven into the few short minutes of the greater message.

What I did not expect - and why I really enjoy some Asian entertainment - was the somber twist at the end of the upbeat, encouraging video (please don't skip to the end; watch it from start to finish).

I loved that this video acknowledged the pain of perceived failure in the moment with the inspiring message.

And I loved the reminder that someone out there really does care about you when all seems lost.

Finally, I really also loved this reminder: that's it's more than perfectly acceptable to praise someone simply for having the courage to get through the day after they've gotten their teeth kicked in.

In fact, both main characters in this video have a loved one literally stamp, "Great job today" on their hands when those characters are feeling at their lowest.

So for anyone reading this: "Living is such a good thing. Great job today."

The video is called "Cheer Up."

Enjoy!

"I Can See Their Memories!"

One of my favorite Mother's Day (perhaps THE favorite) was in 2019, when everyone was out of the house except Timothy and me.

I spent most of the entire day listening to Timothy tell me the story of "Cornell Dyer and the Never Robbers."

And I was just enthralled and eagerly waited for the next word, all the while taking notes, so I could draft the story later.

Although I am the official author for all the books in the BryonySeries subseries "The Adventures of Cornell Dyer," Timothy is the creator for most of the story concepts (except for the last book in the series, which he is writing).

In each book of the Cornell Dyer series, Cornell Dyer has a supernatural mystery to solve.

But this simple mystery story for kids (and the young at heart), "Never Robbers" addresses some very existential topics, including the role memory plays in the existance of people, places, and things.

First, the story summary. And then some thought-provking quotes about "memory" from story.

After a band of robbers steal the motor home of supernatural super sleuth Cornell Dyer, time becomes strange and unpredictable. Events replay themselves with variations. Watches and light sources can’t be trusted. People disappear, and a man who claims to know everything suddenly appears. Cornell is certain soot, a tire swing, and his first unsolved case are somehow connected. But will he solve the mystery before he fades from memory?

The quotes:

"We've all experienced something that is, but not anymore, with people remembering it in various ways. But we're stuck with the original memories, all of the original memories in all their different forms."

Danny Tyler placed a gnarled hand on Cornell's shoulder. "Imagination and memories are a potent combination. In my day people said I was wise. So I've formulated this theory. I think Bishop, Mike, and I are in this situation together because we share a similar memory. And I think we're aging fast today because we're disappearing from memory."

"But even for the people who remember Madeline, she lives only on the tip of their memory, jut out of reach. These people have collectively lost their memories. A memory that, as group, they cannot remember."

"Here's the strange part, Professor," Mike Olsen continued. "It felt as if we'd always been together. Not long after that, we started changing people's minds and memories. And we've been doing that for a really, really long time."

Each person, as they walked, left behind soot, which slowly vanished as they walked.

Cornell gasped. "I can see their memories!"

"If you go back, all the good you've done, and all the bad you've done will become undone," Cornell said. "You will return to the places you belong, and you will have no memory of each other, and you will lose the ability to alter memories."

Cornell shook his head. "That's not how the Madeline effect works. I think you're aging because people aren't remembering you. When memories of people fade.."

"...the people stop existing," Danny Tyler murmured.

Mike frowned. "I know we've changed a lot of memories, but how do you have my watch? And why does it look so old?"

            "Your watch?" Cornell said. "This is not your watch. This was my Grandpa Mo's watch!"

            Danny Tyler stroked his beard. "Mo? As in M.O.? As in, maybe, Mike Olsen?"

            Mike Olsen's eyes grew very wide. "Professor, I'm your grandfather?"

            Cornell ignored the question. "Bishop Cafferty had a watch, too. Where did he get it."

            "Don't know," Danny Tyler said, still looking at his own watch. "We never thought to ask."

I have to tell you, I have never looked at footprints - or even photographs - the same way again.

Look at this photo of these footprints.

Every piece of this is a memory.

This photo from 5:32 p.m. September 22, 2018, preserves all these footprints in the sand, the memory of all the people who left their marks, marks that no longer exist, shoes that likely no longer exist, and (maybe) some of people who no longer exist - or, at the very least - no longer exist in the same way.

The moment I took this photo is just a memory - and less than that, because I don't remember taking this photo.

Furthermore, even I have changed since I snapped this phot.

And yet, something of that moment and all those people who contributed to it, still exists in this way somehow, simply because they left something of themselves behind and a random photo captured that.

Are your eyes roaming this photo, too - wondering?

Explore "Fear" This Month

Very few of us can say we've never been afraid.

Many of us are also afraid to explore those fears.

And perhaps many of us never consider the fears we've addressed.

It's true people don't share the same fears.

But I also believe we also share many of the same fears, since they are part of the human experience.

So this month, with tie-ins from various BryonySeries books, I invite you to explore fear.

Simply visit the BryonySeries calendar, pick a date (any date), read the prompt, and follow the instructions.

You may be suprised on how many times you relate to one or more of these common fears.

Or maybe not.

A Good Day to Read a Poem

 This scroll of ages paper tied with black yard and labeled "cursive" patiently waited to be read until this morning.

Joliet's first poet laureate Uxmar Torres distributed these poems during the tear down of the 2024 Ye Olde Mayfest at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park in Joliet.

For the last several years, my family and I have battled one emergency after another. So I set the poem aside for a day where I could calm my mind and read with clarity.

I've finally had some pockets of time that felt "normal." So today, I untied the poem and read the words.

It was worth the wait.

May you discover good poetry today, in writings and in your life.

Happy Tuesday!

Smile

A co-worker snapped this photo of me in 2017 at the first and last time of seeing an eclipse.

I was struggling to meet many deadlines while fighting a migraine. Rebekah and I were leaving for a week in Raleigh the following day, so I was running out of time to get everything done.

But my co-worker encouraged me to step away for a few minutes and try her glasses, which I did, reluctantly. 

And then she snapped this photo of my reaction. 

So many times, we get bogged down with our obligations and can't see past our immediate struggles.

Just for today, look beyond them for a few moments.

You just may find reason to smile.

And you just may return to your duties with a clearer mind and a lighter heart.

Happy Thursday!

Birthday Gift From Mom

So the birthday gift my mother sent for my birthday on July 15 arrived on July 22, which was frustrating to her and less so with me, since I had surgery on July 17 and that week was a blur of pre-op preparation.

But she followed the tracking with periodic text updates to me as to its location, with the final one being in our parcel box. So Rebekah brought in the box, which contained a cat and dog T-shirt and a pawprint coffee mug.

I asked Rebekah to snap a photo to text to my mother, which she did, shaking her head at our lived-in background and foreground: box that held the gifts, one purse, a bag of supplies on the table, a box that held the large sign now at The Book Market in Crest Hill that needs a home in the garage, a dog toy, Rebekah's tumbler collection on top of the "five minutes of kindness" cabinet, and bare walls since we are still "moving in" four years later.

Nothing is filtered, nothing is altered. Just one post-surgical moment in time and two birthday gifts that made the trek across the country from intention to recipient, with a smile and thankfulness sent back in return.

May you know both giving and recieving today - and may both make you smile.

Happy Monday!

"It's Better to Light One Candle Than to Curse the Darkness"

When my oldest son Christopher was born in 1982, we found some inspirational pamphlets in the back of our chufch by an organization called The Christophers.

We thought it was a good idea to collect them for him to enjoy when he was older. So we wrote to the organization, and it began to send them to us in the mail whenever it released a new one.

The Christophers had a motto that has always stayed with me: "It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."

Isn't that a lovely thought? 

Lighting one candle doesn't dispel the darkness in the world.

But it can light up a room enough to see.

To view those pamphlets, visit christophers.org/news-notes.

Happy Tuesday!

"A Psalm of Life" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The nineteenth century poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is occasionally mentioned in several of the BryonySeries books because the mother of character Henry Matthews is fond of Longfellow's poetry.

One poem, the poem below, is featured in its entirety in "Bryony", when Melissa Marchellis' English teacher Harold Masters recites it from memory in class.

I recently encountered this poem for the first time in many years, and I was struck by how each line of the poem, well, struck me, during this recent re-read - and made me ponder and reflect.

Since many of us aren't reading Longfellow these days and even less of us have (or had) teachers that recited his poems in class, I'm sharing this poem with you today.

It's one of those poems where you can read it at face value the first time and then return to it later for another read, a slower read, and gain fresh insight.

Enjoy!

"A Psalm of Life" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882)

This poem is featured in "Bryony"

What the Heart of the Young Man Said to the Psalmist

TELL me not, in mournful numbers,

Life is but an empty dream!—

For the soul is dead that slumbers,

And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!

And the grave is not its goal;

Dust thou art, to dust returnest,

Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,

Is our destined end or way;

But to act, that each to-morrow

Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,

And our hearts, though stout and brave,

Still, like muffled drums, are beating 

Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,

In the bivouac of Life,

Be not like dumb, driven cattle!

Be a hero in the strife! 

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!

Let the dead Past bury its dead!

Act,—act in the living Present!

Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,

Sailing o'er life's solemn main,

A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,

Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,

With a heart for any fate;

Still achieving, still pursuing,

Learn to labor and to wait.

A Smidgen of Normal

It all started with the bathroom shelf.

With all the emergencies and complications in our lives these last couple of years, "stuff" began accumulating everywhere.

One day, I sized up the organized dissarray in my bathroom and realized I had mores stuff in there than space. I decided I needed the type of bathroom shelf that Rebekah had in her bathroom.

Rebekah latched onto the idea, and we bought in on Thursday morning while we were running errands before work. She also bought some blue plastic wicker baskets, and I took the first steps toward moving some items away from the clutter and into their new home.

It looked nice.

The change was so subtle, so small, but it rekindled a motivation I hadn't realized had shrunk until I felt that spark.

So Saturday, I caught up on some BryonySeries project.

And on Sunday, I caught up on some household ones.

By "caught up," I don't mean to imply that I'm caught up at all. 

Still, I accomplished more than I ever dreamed possible when I placed those first folded washclothes into those simple baskets.

Now I can't predict the future, and I have no idea if our stormy season is coming to an end.

(Yes, I'm having surgery in a couple of weeks. Wouldn't that be great if the entire process was straightfoward as it should be?)

But it felt wonderful to do the "normal" things for two days without the ceiling and the floor collapsing on us.

Yes, that is indeed the drain sitting on the top of the shelf. Daniel removed it due to a problem six months or more months ago, and it's lived on my dresser ever since. That drain is now one step closer to returning to its "normal" place, too.

Seriously, several of us in the family were talking about how jumping from big problem to big problem has them on edge, and they've come to dread the weekends when "something" always seems to happen.

Nothing happened this weekend except the weekend. That really felt good.

And that gives me hope.

Happy Monday!

The Young Woman's Part-Time Job

Many, many years ago, I wrote a story about a young, single woman in her 20s who, unlike many people today, worked two jobs.

However, her purpose was not the typical reason.

The full-time job was for her.

The part-time job was for everyone else.

With the funds from the part-time job, this woman ran a clothing closet and a food pantry out of her garage.

I don't remember her name or how long ago I wrote the story. But my office was the attic office in Channahon and likely before Ron and I started The Higher Ark Youth Group for our church.. 

So I'm guessing approximately twenty-five years ago.

Her story inspired me because it proved that one person through hard work can make a significant change. 

I don't recall why she chose to tackle this on her own. She may have run into obstacles that led her to simply fund it herself.

But that's how Ron and I got things done.

We rolled up our sleeves and made changes at our church.

Ron painted, using paint we bought.

Ron and the kids cleaned out, painted, and organized the pantry.

Ron stripped all the floor wax in the large and small halls and rewaxed everything.

I created an entire Sunday School program with our money, organized it, and paid for it.

We did the same thing for the youth group, remodeling three outbuildings (two garages and one attached wooden shed) on our property, hiring an out-of-work constractor to construct a fourth, and buying a shed for the "stuff."

The kids jumped in and stuffed Sunday inserts for newspaper carriers to help buy snacks and pop, etc. for the youth group.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a writer comrade contacted me and asked me to edit his second book. I'd always turned those opportunities down, mostly because my schedule was tight between family, my own writing work, WriteOn Joliet, my own fiction writing, and because editing is expensive, and I knew writers on the independent level would likely never make that money back, ever.

But he insisted he would not take "no" for an answer. So I took on this project and then a few more, charging far, far, far below industry standard rates, more of a stipend, really.

And that inspired the beginning of the book giveaways, including this book giveaway.

When my oldest son Christopher was born in 1982, we found few pamphlets by an organization called The Christophers that we began collecting for when he was older.

The Christophers had a motto that has always stayed with me: "It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."

Lighting one candle doesn't dispel the darkness in the world.

But it can light up a room enough to see.

Happy Monday!

 

A New Favorite Bible Verse

I've previously written about the chaotic few years my family and I have experienced, and we've had more of the same in 2025 - with more challenges on the horizon.

Last October, as Rebekah and I began recreating our BryonySeries financial year, the amount of paperwork documenting projects kept coming.

Ironically, both of us were ill that day, but the work needed to be done.

At one point, we stopped and looked at each other asking, "How? How did we get this all done?"

So many times, we've been so far behind on "stuff," that when we start to tackle getting caught up, we got knocked even farther behind.

These past three days have been very productive, so much so that we've been lulled into thinking "catching up" is possible.

But is it? Or are our cynical minds fearing that's an illusion?

We might get caught up this time - or we might start over and "catching up" will be delayed.

However, I also believe the time of constant turmoil is also a season, one that reminds us that progress and accomplishment is possible in the midst of storms and that mild weather and circumstances will return - and that life is both and not always linearly.

So here is my new favorite Bible verse and my personal mantra for this year. I clung it these past months of WriteOn Joliet's 2025 radio play season, when I had three emergency room visits, one hospital stay, and two new and separate diagnoses, and one scheduled (and then rescheduled) surgery - and I didn't know if participation in the play was possible and if I should quit or keep rehearsing (I kept rehearsing).

"If you wait for perfect weather, you will never plant your seeds. 

"If you are afraid that every cloud will bring rain, you will never harvest your crops. 

"You do not know which way the wind will blow." Ecclesiastes 11:4-5.

Happy Monday!