Something

On By dklinegIn Other Stuff..., Square Inches, Unexpected DelightLeave a comment

This morning 

There’s something about the relentless wind

There’s something about the stinging sand

There’s something about the rolling water, the crashing waves

There’s something about being there

…To hear the relentless wind

…To feel the stinging sand

…To see the rolling water, the crashing waves

There’s something humbling in all this…

It’s knowing that the One who holds the wind, water and waves

Loves us more than we can know

“More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the Lord!”

Psalm 93:4

Today’s gift.

An Advent Moon

On By dklinegIn Christmas, Other Stuff..., Unexpected DelightLeave a comment

This morning as I walked, the waning crescent moon winked in and out between spotty predawn clouds.  Maybe you saw it too.  It’s the same moon here as there.  A waning crescent.

The crescents are my favorite.  The flashy full phase is fine, too.  However, the delicate fine features of that tiny, frail sliver of light  make me smile.  That’s what I saw this morning.  I smiled.

That illuminated crescent is slowly going away though.  Each day it’s getting smaller and smaller, until one day, poof it will be gone!  No more moon.  At least that’s what it looks like.  

Yet, the moon is still there.  All of it.  Even during the crescents.  Look closely.  It’s all there, the complete sphere.  It’s just not terribly obvious sometimes. It takes some looking. 

Last Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent.  Once again, for those who commemorate such things, it began a time of anticipation and preparation for the coming of the Savior, Jesus. The celebration culminates on Christmas Day.  Sadly, for many, after all the hoopla surrounding the holiday passes, our interest in the birth of the Christ Child and even the Christ Child himself wanes until one day, poof, it’s gone.

Here, on these cold, clear, crisp Michigan mornings, the beauty of the crescent moon presents itself.  And even though it’s light dims for a time, the moon is still all there.  The Good News of Christmas is, even though our faith may dim, the One whose birth we celebrate again, is always here.  That’s one of the names we know him by – Immanuel, God with us.

Today’s Gift.

Familiar Paths

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Even though it was a gray day, I decided not to skip my Sunday afternoon walk. I chose to wander in a place I’ve roamed many times before. Even though the wind blew mini-blizzards of snow all around, I was greeted with occasional patches of calm blue sky along with brief, blinding bursts of sunshine.

In spite of the gloominess of the day, I decided to take my camera along and take the ‘Gray Day 5-Shot Challenge.’  Could I come up with five good enough pictures worthy of posting here in the blog?

Since I get to decide, the answer is yes.  Here they are, the five shots, the best of the day.  Oh, and a little haiku to go along with them.

Familiar Paths

Walked familiar paths

Sadly, different today

Fondly remembered 

Yesterday’s gift.

Thanksgiving Day – 2021

On By dklinegIn Other Stuff..., ThanksgivingLeave a comment

It’s Thanksgiving Day. It’s a new day that the Lord has made. There’s certainly a lot for which to be thankful. We all have our own list, I’m sure. Hopefully, we’ve had the opportunity to share it with those we love. No doubt those we love are at the top our list.

And, let’s not forget to whom we owe our thanks and why.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning;

Great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”‘ Lamentations 3:22-24

Today’s gift.

Still Available!

On By dklinegIn Christmas, Other Stuff..., School ThingsLeave a comment

Here it comes again, the 2nd annual shameless self-promotion…  I humbly offer my apologies before I even start.

Here’s some history. Over the last 30 years I’ve written more than a few short stories, a lot of them about Christmas. I wrote them mainly for my students back then. Some of them were even good enough to be published in a few educator’s magazines.

So with that little bit of fleeting success, I decided long ago that I’d like to see them published, put into a book. However the stories remained in my file, on my computer and in my mind … until recently.

After hearing about the whole concept of self-publishing a while back, the idea of putting my stories together in a book started percolating again.  Self-publishing… hmmm … The cool thing about self-publishing a book is that, really, only one person needs to like it.

So about a year ago, I took the plunge and published the stories with Kindle Direct Publishing. Here it is.

Now available at Amazon.com

I want to make it clear that I’m not in this for the money or to make someone’s best seller list.  Although, with this blog readership of about six, who knows what might happen. Things might just take off.

I wrote most of the stories mainly for my students and the people closest to me.  And, I had fun doing it.  Besides, even after all these years, I still think these stories, in their quirky little ways, still belt out a pretty strong message about Christmas and it’s true meaning, which, of course, is that Jesus was born, Immanuel, God with us.  That, my friends, and NOT some flashy book … is today’s Gift.

 *****

If you want to see the blurb and read a sample at Amazon.com, click on this link.  If not, that’s fine, too.