Janet's Blog

  It's tulip time! It's arguably my favorite time of year, when the weather starts to warm up--at least sometimes. The grass turns green and the spring flowers begin to show off their magical colors and alluring aromas. The birds are beginning to sing again. Finally, after months of freezing temperatures and monochrome landscapes, God is showing us again, right on schedule, that he has the power to awaken the slumbering earth and bring forth new life.  I remember the first time I ever noticed the tulips on the farm, when I was about three years old. Mom had planted spring bulbs along the house yard fence. When the flowers began to bloom, she made sure I knew their names. I loved the yellow daffodils, which were the first to bloom, but the red and yellow tulips were absolutely gorgeous! That particular combination of tulips is still my favorite.   I've had some tulips in my front flower bed, right next to the house, for many years. They usually bloom beautifully, although ...

I can hardly believe that this is Blog #500! When I wrote my first blog, more than 13 years ago, I didn't really think about how long I would keep writing blogs, and I certainly never expected to write so many. In fact, I would have never written the first one if I hadn't attended an informative session at our annual winter teachers' in-service training, where the presenter walked us through the process, step by step, so each person in attendance was able to start a blog of their own.  I signed up for that session because I had heard a little about blogs, and I was curious to see if I could use a blog as a communication tool for the parents of my preschoolers. At that time, though, I discovered that our school district would not allow its teachers to use the new technology in that way, so I decided to write a personal blog instead. I was exhausted when I got home after a grueling day of sessions, but I sat down at my computer after supper anyway, and began to write my first...

We don't often stop to think about the light that brightens our days. We take it for granted, expecting it as our right. After all, the sun comes up each morning and gives light even on the cloudiest of days. The moon shines clearly from many nighttime skies, and the stars twinkle brightly even when the moon is absent. And on those dark, cloudy nights, we still have street lights and headlights outside, and plenty of electric lights in our homes and businesses.  I woke up suddenly around 3:00 a.m. yesterday. The stillness was startling; even with the wind rattling the windows, I was aware of the complete absence of normal inside, background murmurings. The darkness was all-encompassing--no night lights glowing, no street lights casting their faint light through our shaded windows. When I picked up my phone to check the time, it lit up immediately, providing the comforting light we've all come to expect. That's when I realized that we were in the midst of a power outage. I r...