Friday Tidings

Once upon a time, when my baseball-loving husband was looking to expand his career options, he did a stint as a Major League Baseball scout. With his trusty radar gun and video camera, he visited high schools and colleges throughout Washington and Oregon. Sleeping in his truck, and managing his regular business via cell phone, his radar gun zeroed in on a future All Star pitcher other scouts seemed to ignore. Tim Lincecum was a scrawny kid by any athletic standards. But on the pitching mound for his college team, the University of Washington Huskies, he was dominating. The other scouts seemed more interested in meatier men—a brisk wind would knock this kid down. But with radar gun stats and a keen sense of what Lincecum’s future could be, my husband wasted no time reporting on this scrawny pitching wonder. The MLB team ignored his insightful tip and basically said, keeping looking. How wrong they were. The San Francisco Giants picked Lincecum in the ...

This isn’t about the safety of food dropped on the floor and snatching it up prior to five seconds; it’s about a time delay before opening our mouth to speak.  This is about my beautiful, rambunctious, and verbally impulsive friend Terrie. If anyone needed the five-second rule it was Terrie. Ever opinionated and supremely intelligent beyond her youthful appearance, Terrie is one of those people who will tell you the truth right from the starting line. She’s the one who’ll point out how the new yellow shirt you’re wearing makes you look sick. On the upside, she always points out if you have food stuck between your teeth or dirt on your face. Terrie earned her reputation as a straight shooter. I could count on her to have an opinion on anything. I mean everything. Some would find that refreshing. I wondered how her new husband would take it. I invited her to coffee a few weeks after the honeymoon. “He has absolutely no decorating sense.”  ...

Kramer family 1901--prior to David's birth It wasn’t about fairness with David Kramer—especially by our modern definition. His folks emigrated from Germany with their farming work ethic and not much more.  When David was four, his father died. Surrounding farm families helped keep their ranch solvent until at age 13, he took over the arduous duties. 1940 Ritzville, Washington From then on, David worked the land, first with teams of horses, then with crude harvesters, until finally a modern combine lessened the work for others, but not himself.  He put his seven brothers and sisters through college and shared the farming profits the rest of their lives, but David never had the chance to finish high school. In a very real way, he became the father for his family. He didn’t expect to be reimbursed because that’s just the way it was back then.   Was it fair that he never had the opportunities his siblings had? No, but it wasn’t about...

Christina took her final breath on earth the same day I honor my dad’s birth. While I'll always have memories of my dad on this day, now I can also recall a spirited, enthusiastically encouraging, light-hearted, and loving young woman. She left an indelible mark in my life and thousands of others. She didn't set out to change our world; it's just the way she allowed her circumstances to be used by God. During her journey with brain cancer she opened the door of her life and insightful words flowed out. Her passion for Jesus was infectious. Christina would have me smiling as I read her blog ...she'd find light in the darkest places. Cancer may have invaded her body, but it didn't steal her choice to live well. She’d post pictures of her brain surgery haircuts right along with fun times with friends and family. And her irresistible smile made it impossible not to smile right back.             Yet ther...

Your #1 graduation tip: Make your bed every morning.  What’s the big deal about making your bed? It’s not just a neat freak thing. It’s how you start your day. And it’s how you end your day. No matter what you faced during your day, crawling into a well-made bed is a welcome reprieve from the world. Sometimes it will be the best part of the worst day. You’ll appreciate being greeted by straightened sheets and smoothed out blankets. Making the bed takes less than two minutes. In those minutes you can think about your day or better yet, pray to God that he’ll guide you throughout it. In those moments of tucking and straightening, you are on pace to tackle the next thing on your list. As you leave for the day, you’ve already accomplished something good. Doing the small things each day motivates us to have victory over the bigger things. If bed making seems like lame advice, a wealthy bank president gave two words for his secret to success: good decision...

Ben Carson is trying to bridge the great divide in our nation. He’s taking his medical mindset and using it to bring healing and restoration to our broken country. He’s smart, articulate, and isn’t part of the permanent political class entrenched in self-interest. Carson’s new book, One Nation , seeks to reunify us. “I want people to realize we are not each other’s enemy.” He stresses the importance of remembering the Judeo Christian values that “led us to the pinnacle position in the world faster than any nation in history.”   He readily admits that we’re not all going to agree on abortion or gay marriage, but the dialogue  doesn’t have to be mean spirited. Indeed, unless we solve the critical fiscal problems, the cultural issues won’t matter. Carson also says Americans need to be educated—spend a half-hour each day dedicated to learning something new. If we are armed with knowledge we can talk about issues intelligently. Sadly, many Americans ...

How can you go on when you’re told your son was killed on the frontline in Afghanistan? What can you do with your broken heart? What happens when all you see are the shattered dreams of what no longer can be?  No mother wants to answer these questions, yet Betsy Schultz answered each one. And because Betsy responded in a powerful way, hurting families across our nation will be helped. Captain Joseph Schultz died on Memorial Day Weekend 2011.  Ruggedly handsome with an engaging  smile and an even bigger heart, whenever he was home, he loved rolling up his sleeves and helping his mom at her bed and breakfast lodge. Captain Schultz was fully committed to serve his nation. Leading from the front was his motto. Sadly, his life ended much too soon. For his mother, alone and suffering heart-wrenching grief, she just wished it could have been her life and not his. Shattered, but not defeated, Betsy recognized how other families of ...