Shade Tree Stories

musings and memories rooted in faith and family

Latest stories from Under the shade trees

  • We’re Not Going Away
    I can’t believe that it’s been 4 years this month since I had the honor and privilege of speaking at our nation’s capitol on behalf of nursing home residents in…
  • Where the Gospel Slows Down
    On my last visit to the nursing home, I had two separate encounters that spoke to my heart about how we use our most valuable resource: time. The first experience…
  • Wave Watcher
    I just got back from the beach. It was a quick, five day trip to Florida. As usual, I went prepared with a book, my journal, and my laptop. I…
  • Comparison; Thief of Joy…Sometimes
    “Comparison is the thief of joy.” I had to look that up to see who is credited with saying that. Apparently, President Theodore Roosevelt was a smart guy. He said…
  • Connecting The Dots and A Happy Breakthrough
    I’ve been doing a lot of work lately. Hard work. And I don’t mean manual labor. I mean the difficult work of sitting with your feelings, examining them, and processing…
  • Hailstones in Battle
    A few weeks ago, on a Friday night, we were sleeping in our basement because the weather forecast was predicting strong storms for our area overnight. Around 5am, I was…
Yep, that’s me with my grandfather.
Marla and Pa, 1978

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Stubbornly Leaning

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I was asked to write a devotional for a ladies group–“Growing in 2024.” Here’s what I came up with. (Rather, here’s what I think God helped me write.) If you…
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My Way

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I had a very proud momma moment last week. I hopped in my daughter’s car for a short ride across town and, as she always does before she puts the…
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No Easter Photos

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When I was a little girl, there was no question that my family would spend Easter weekend with my grandparents and attend Sunday church services with them. This also meant…
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The Guitar

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My grandfather and his brother Nathan were musicians in a band that toured. Well, actually, it was just the two of them, and by “toured” I mean they played the…
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