If you have ever been to our house, you have been fed. My wife is a great cook. I’ve found we make a great team, especially when it comes to cooking. I’m not suggesting that I’m much of a cook’s assistant, but I do like to eat. Her Eastern European decent comes into play when company arrives, even if unannounced. It somehow would be impolite not to put on a full spread, complete with plenty of appetizers for twenty people, even if it’s only for a family of four. After everybody leaves, she often remarks, “What was I thinking? I made enough for the Ukrainian Army.” That’s a vague reference to large amounts of kielbasa and sauerkraut. For whatever reason, there usually seems...

There is something deep in the psyche of Americans and their love for camping and outdoor living. It all began in the 1840’s and 1850’s with many of the families trying to get out of the cities. The industrial revolution and the subsequent population growth were causing noise, air pollution and slums. Sanitation problems and declining health among the city-dwellers were fast becoming large scale issues. In less than half a decade, a new building boom would begin. The suburbs would be on the horizon. In spite of what you might be thinking, that’s a little before my time. When I arrived on the scene, suburbia was in full swing. Soon after WWII, the returning GIs needed jobs and...

It is on a lot of Christians’ collective minds today about what God might be doing during all of this. We might be questioning His purposes for the world, or specifically for Christians. We can speculate with a lot of things. Maybe it’s about our churches and so many who neglect attending services and fellowship (Hebrews 10:25). Some have suggested His wrath on the world for ignoring Him. It could be any number of reasons. Better for us to ask, “What does the Bible say?” This we do know because God says it: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose”. For His...

My husband, Rick, was in the Air Force when we got married. We lived in California on Edwards Air Force Base for about three and a half years. We were 19 years old and didn’t have many material possessions but had each other and had fun just the same. Our first son, Mike, was born a year after we married. Mike brought us much joy and grew both of us up quickly. After our time in California we came back to this area again and settled in Troy. My brother, Walt, was going to Hudson Valley Community College at that time and lived with us for about a year. One day he came home and announced that he had become a born again Christian and was attending Pineview Community Church. We thought that...

There is a seemingly endless list of the joys of home-ownership, particularly when it comes to owning an older house.  Our first home was built about 30 years before we acquired it.  Those delights include electricity and plumbing, amid a medley of other issues.  If you’re old enough, you may remember glass fuses.  We had the usual assortment of modern appliances like a clothes washer, electric dryer, electric water heater and a dishwasher.  All of which drew far more amperage than their ancestors that were around when the house was built. We learned quickly that you could only run two devices at a time or you were swapping out fuses every time someone used the toaster. The house...

“Back at home a young wife waits Her Green Beret has met his fate He has died for those oppressed Leaving her this last request” Put silver wings on my son’s chest Make him one of America’s best He’ll be a man they’ll test one day Have him win the Green Beret” When SSGT Barry Sadler released his song in 1966, American found itself at war in South East Asia.  The lyrics were written in honor of Green Beret US Army Specialist 5 James Gabriel, Jr., the first native Hawaiian to die in Vietnam, who was killed by Viet Cong gunfire while on a training mission on April 8, 1962. One verse mentioned Gabriel by name, but it wasn’t included in the...

We were living in our small apartment in Rosamond, California while we waited for housing to become available on the Air Force Base where we were stationed.  Autumn plodded along bringing with it the cooler winds that poured off the eastern side of the Antelope Valley mountains.  It certainly felt uneventful as there were only the two of us at the table that Thursday afternoon in late November.  Thankful that we had a place to live and that we were together, all the while thinking of our families who must have been enjoying the holiday back in New York. At the bottom of a stack of pans in our kitchen today, rests the 14″ black-speckled porcelain-enameled roasting pan that we had...