Author: maryanncrum

   My, oh my, what a presidential race we’re enduring. A long, contentious season of bloviating and backstabbing that makes me want to move to New Zealand.    All the election-related TV commercials, news interviews and debate rants bring these old Dan Fogelberg song lyrics to mind: “Promises made, promises broken, measures of our demise… Continue reading Promises Made, Promises Broken

   When we got some chickens and baby-stepped into the world of farming, I knew I shouldn’t bond with those birds. So I didn’t, which really wasn’t hard since chickens seem to mostly peck and scratch and poop everywhere. They’re not very nice to each other, and even less nice to the rest of us.… Continue reading Don’t Dawdle in the Dark

   Ever wish you could go back and experience Christmas as a child again?      Leaving cookies and milk out for Santa; waking up off and on throughout Christmas Eve night and wondering if he might be in your house at that very moment; racing down the stairs on Christmas morning and tearing into… Continue reading Just What We Wanted

   After my older brother got his driver’s license, he was sometimes drafted to drive me where I needed to go.    When our Indiana streets were covered with snow, my brother loved to terrify me by pretending he was losing control of the car. He’d let his hands frantically slide all around the steering… Continue reading God IS Fixing This

 What on earth are you waiting for?    It’s a good question to ask during Advent, the official season of waiting and preparation for Christmas.    I won’t actually do this, but if I stood outside Walmart and asked people what they’re waiting for right now, I’d probably get all kinds of answers before store… Continue reading What Are You Waiting For?

 I recently read about the 16th-century origin of a common phrase still used today. It had to do with bathing, an activity which was seriously disregarded in the Middle Ages.    “Grunge” wasn’t just a fashion trend back then—it was a way of life.    Since I’ve been diagnosed—by my husband, who is NOT a… Continue reading All Religions Are Not the Same

   Even though it’s a skill I don’t use very often, I’m glad I learned how to drive a car with a manual transmission when I was a teenager. But I must say, the learning how nearly did me in.    As far back as I can recall, my parents didn’t own a car with… Continue reading Finding a New Gear

  If you’re a regular reader of this column, you probably figured there’d be more chicken stories coming. When someone like me suddenly becomes a chicken mama, stories happen.    In years gone by, God taught me many lessons through my kids and dogs. Now it seems He may use these crazy chickens we’ve adopted.  … Continue reading God Makes a Way

   The few. The proud. The cheap. We’re a small band of sisters, we women who dare to let our hair turn gray right in front of God and everyone.    Sometimes I suspect other women are looking at my hair in horror and thinking, “Can’t you see what’s happening? Two words, sister—DYE JOB.”  … Continue reading I’m Gray and Okay

     I knew I shouldn’t be feeling a breeze wafting across my leg, but since I was at that moment being introduced to speak to a group of ladies gathered at a church for a day-long retreat, it wasn’t the time to think about that breeze.      Then, literally seconds before I had… Continue reading Truth Makes Us Free