Treacherous Brook

It's no secret that our life profoundly and permanently changed on a beautiful Pentecost Sunday about two years ago. Our first grandchild, Bailee was born to her very proud parents and her delighted grandparents! Those of you who have experienced this wonder in your life know what I am talking about. For some of the rest of you who have that to look forward to...it is nothing short of amazing! In no time at all she has captured the hearts of all of her extended family even causing her Auntie Em to move back home from her life over two thousand miles away. All for good reason. This new life brings to us all a new hope; a new take on this life of ours and a fresh sense of purpose and meaning. In the past couple of months, Miss 'B' has started something new. When I or her 'Papa' stop by for a visit, she will come running from wherever she is and say with excitement: "I'm right here"! While sharing this with the rest of the family on a recent vac...

My husband gets a local newspaper generated from the town is parents and grandparents resided. There is a feeling of 'keeping in touch' with his roots in this that I envy. His Mother's extended family still get together every so often for reunions and we've always enjoyed attending and catching up with his cousins and their families. This morning he showed me a reprinted obituary from that area originally published in 1895. My, what a difference a century makes! It was beautiful...throughout the piece, her 'history' kept coming back to the touchpoint of her Christian faith. It got me to thinking of my own 'touchpoint'. Marie Elizabeth Eilers, born this day, January 13, 1898 in St. Louis, Missouri. Grandma was the daughter of man who, at the time, delivered ice in a horse drawn wagon. The scene of just such a man in the movie "Meet Me In St. Louis" with Margaret O'Brien playing the part of a girl about Grandma's age always sets my...

In the midst of the exuberance over our Cardinal baseball World Series win last fall, St. Louisians were shocked and saddened, first by the Amber alert issued for a 13 month old boy and then the unbelievable news that his young mother was being arrested in connection with his death. The cold water of reality took our breath away. There are no words to alleviate our sorrow in this situation, no actions that can make up for what was lost in the promising life of this little guy -- and the loss of a bit of our collective humanity. As Director of a crisis pregnancy office, our responsibility to our clients is always foremost in my mind. In truth, we can never know for sure what home situation a young woman may be facing as she leaves our office after a positive pregnancy test. Though we do our best to ascertain what any and all of her needs may be, there are so many variables in our society--so many things once considered unthinkable that have now, sadly, become the norm. I don...