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…
Welcome to my blog!
I’m a life-long Kentuckian from a family of life-long Kentuckians who can trace our land back to Daniel Boone. I’m a wife, a daughter, a sister, mom of two young adults, a teacher by nature and by training, mom of three Boston Terriers, lover of good food, travel, and proper English grammar (though I may not always use it on this site). Most importantly, I’m a child of God– a work in progress striving to follow Him faithfully and love others fiercely.
Learn more about me
Marla and Pa, 1978
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Ministry of Presence: what I learned sitting with a dying woman (part 1)
Recently I was asked to pray with a nursing home resident who was nearing the end of her life. Other than her name, the only thing that I knew about…
Ministry of Presence: what I learned sitting with a dying woman, part 2
In Part 1, I mentioned Job and his three friends who came to sit with him during his time of intense suffering and grief. For seven days and nights, they…
Thoughts on Alexander Hamilton’s Bio; Can we keep this republic?
I’ve been reading the very in-depth biography of Alexander Hamilton that was the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical about his life. It’s been quite the educational read. I’ve learned…
Telling Stories
“Tell me a story! Tell me a story!” When I was a little girl visiting my Granny, I often asked her to tell me a story, particularly at night after…
The House My Grandfather Built
(This is an update to a devotional I wrote two years ago.) I can’t believe it’s been two years since I watched the demolition of my grandparents’ house. It still…
God’s Medicine for Worry
For the past several years, I’ve been expanding my creative outlets and thinking about what it means to create. Those of you who know me would probably say that you’ve…
Light Fights and Preparation
Perhaps you’ve heard of the great thermostat wars…the battle each household must fight over who controls the temperature of the house. We fight that one in our house, but we…
I Wonder
There are many things I wonder about at this time of year. I wonder about silly things like what it would be like to go “a wassailing” or what the…