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If Only Pets Could Talk

During our Christmas Eve service many years ago, the minister spoke to the congregation’s children and said the animals would talk at midnight. I think of this every year: Do the very earliest hours of Christmas give our animals a…

54 Reasons We can do Better

There is no way to ease into the topic of homeless children in our community. You can only be blunt; no child should be without a consistent place to live. However, here we are with an estimated 54 Traverse City…

Sept. 11, 2001: Anniversary of clarity

My parents’ apartment is a time capsule. After my dad’s death in August, my brothers and I started sorting and cleaning out their cherished possessions. When you go through someone’s bedside table, you get a good understanding of what they…

Thank you, Barbie

I saw the movie Barbie when my dad lay dying in hospice. I went because I had promised my daughter, nieces, and sisters-in-law I would join them.   Sitting in The Bay Theater in Suttons Bay at a matinee show, I…

What Would Jesus Say?

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, describes itself as a place of “Love. Churches display love of their neighbor, their enemy, their community and God’s people.” Except if you are a female. In…