Kitchen Table Devotions

by Rita Louise MacDonald

I Love You More Than An Ironed T-Shirt

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  I got dressed today, but I'm not exactly sure why.  I had 8 a.m. plans, 10 a.m. plans, and then it snowed.  And snowed, and snowed, and snowed.  I canceled the 8 a.m. plans, canceled the 10 a.m. plans, and commenced to study.  And study, and study, and study. I'm so, so, so sick of studying. In the middle of studying, "Suzy Q" called.  I snagged her as my friend about eight or so years ago when she was holding the door at a Bible study I was attending.  She was so friendly, always remembered my name, always asked about my sons - so I told her one day I was keeping her.  And we've been good friends since the day I told her that.  Suzy Q loves to play in the snow (I told her she's cray-cray, but she just laughs!) so I was surprised when she took a break from playing in the ... View Post

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Sheet Harbor

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  As I'm continuing to go through old things in my home, my mother seems to be doing the very same thing in hers!   It's almost daily that we get reminded of an old funny story, a cherished neighbor, or just a sweet memory worth savoring. I came across a good one today.  And it's worth passing on to Lyla and Owey, so I'm stickin' it here in my blog! My Dad was the best story teller.  I mean - theeee best!  He never ran out of stories to tell us at night about the shenanigans he and his 15 siblings would get into as kids.  (Yes, there were 16 kids!)  My little sister and I loved the stories about Dad's horses, or his dog, or the jokes they'd play on each other on the farm.  She'd always say, "Dad, tell us another story about Chum!"  And he did.  Every night. There was ... View Post

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The Inadequate Father

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  For the past 20 years or so, my friend Ron has called me yearly to wish me a Happy Father's Day.  Ron watched during the earliest years of raising two boys by myself, as I struggled to single-handedly work multiple medical transcription jobs from home - some of them around the clock, waitress a few hours a week for some extra cash, budget my time, manage my money, help with the homework, keep our home clean, fix household things by myself, go back to school (twice), mow the lawn, cook dinner, bathe the boys, and snuggle them to sleep.  And!  Still manage to take them on cool, adventurous, once-in-a-lifetime vacations. Ron always told me that I was Mom AND Dad, and I proudly received those accolades, and waited every year for Ron's call.  After all, I WAS doing it all!  I was ... View Post

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He Knows

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  Dear, dear cherished friend, I wish you knew how many evenings I go to bed and think about you, wondering if you are okay.  You sound okay on the phone, and you almost convince me that you are, but are you?  Really? Your laugh is so infectious.  And it's always the last thing I hear before we hang up.  But I often wonder afterwards - are you really okay? Those in between days, the "not-so-good" ones - you so often ask me the same question.  Why?  Why no justice? I am so sorry.  Sorry for what you endured.  Sorry for what feels like lack of justice. I have no answer.  I don't know why things happened to you like they did.  I don't know why there are so many women walking in the same pair of shoes you are walking in.  I know you feel as if you look like the bad guy, ... View Post

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Refreshing My Soul

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  Recently a friend of mine who went through a life-saving operation shared her thoughts on how this experience has changed her.  Another friend of mine, rather young but in poor health, had two heart attacks in the past month.  Earlier this week, a stranger shared with me the experience of losing her childhood.  And a friend shared the very private loss she has struggled with just this past year.  Each of their circumstances are very different, yet they all seem to - perhaps even unknowingly - share a common wisdom.  They know what matters. One of those nuggets of wisdom was to stop discussing things you'd like to do, and just do them.  So rather than talking about having lunch, my friend and I dropped everything we were doing today to share a meal and catch up.  I can't even ... View Post

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Dishes, Hugs, & Biscuits

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  The top shelves in my cupboards are empty.  Well, at least they were empty two weeks ago. As I've mentioned in previous blogs, I've been in this season of giving everything away.  I can't reach up there anymore and it's just me here in my home.  I don't need all this "stuff," I've reasoned.   And my friends are getting tired of me continually asking them, "Do you want this?  How about this?  This?" Guess what.  My top shelves are full again. I couldn't help it!   You see, it seems my mother is in the very same "giving everything away" season and she has sent me away with a box each time I've left her house.  On the top shelf of my kitchen cupboards are now several beautiful tea cups and saucers that date back to more than 100 years ago.  I don't even drink tea, but I'm ... View Post

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End-of-The-Year Pondering

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My foot with its broken, swollen, purple toe propped up on the coffee table - coffee cup in hand, still sporting my Christmas pajamas, I live-streamed our church service today.  Ten minutes after the closing prayer, my doorbell rang.  My grocery delivery arrived.  I timed that perfectly!  I texted a close friend and she stopped by and picked up something that needed to be dropped off for a friend.  I paid my bills on the laptop and scheduled an appointment for the end of the month on their web site. None of this would have been possible without technology.  Technology is good.  Right? This week my son introduced me to an app for keeping track of screen time on my phone.  YIKES!  Even with a recent agreement with a close girlfriend of mine to avoid FaceBook for the month of December, ... View Post

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Kicking Walls & Stubbing Toes

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  Twenty years living in my home, and I still managed Christmas Eve morning to walk right into the wall on my way to shower before church.  It's been there all along.  The furniture hasn't been rearranged or anything.  I knew it was there, but somehow I still managed to walk right into the doggone thing, stubbing my toe so hard that it stuck straight out - in the wrong direction. I mean sticking straight out like - my foot was going left, but my toe was going right.  Yes, that kind of sticking out. When I finished scolding my wall for being in my way.....   And yes, I most certainly did scold my wall.....   (Pray for me).......   I knew what I had to do.  This was not my first rodeo.  Long story short, I basically put my toe back in the right position, and went about my ... View Post

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