Author: maryanncrum

             I think it’s always a bit shocking for teenagers to discover that their parents and other “old people” can have fun, and yes, perhaps even be funny. They seem to assume that osteoporosis first strikes the funny bone and erosion begins shortly after one graduates from college.             I happen to think I can… Continue reading Moths in the Soup of Life

           “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances,” said wise King Solomon in Proverbs. With hundreds of wives, I bet Solomon learned the hard way that the opposite is just as true – a word spoken in wrong circumstances can make you wish you’d had your lips… Continue reading The Lost Art of Sweet Talk

            The characters were feeling a bit familiar. The plot, too. But this mystery novel was one in a series with the same main character, set in the same city, and I’d read all of the others, so my deja vu seemed logical and explainable. I forged ahead in the book.             On page 151,… Continue reading The Blessings of Forgetting

            As I write this, March Madness is upon us once again and my Hoosier roots are drawing me to the TV to watch the NCAA basketball tournament. But I have to say that a relatively recent development in the game of basketball baffles me a bit. I noticed this phenomenon a few years ago… Continue reading We All Need a High-Five Sometimes

            If you live long enough in this fallen world, you will most likely someday make the unhappy discovery that all the things in your freezer/refrigerator are warm. The liquefied ice cream will ooze from its carton; you will almost hear the bacteria reproducing in your ground beef; you’ll find your frozen vegetables disturbingly soft… Continue reading Life is not a consumer test

            I’m … quite … out … of … breath.  I … just … experienced … a new … aerobic … workout … routine.  Think … I’ll call it … a Winston … Sprint. Winston … is my … dog. He’s fast … and … playful… and sometimes … quite … insane.  Not … a… Continue reading There’s No Place Like Home

            Ever had one of those dreams where you are desperately trying to run toward or away from something and you … just … can’t … seem … to … move? That’s the feeling I get inside every time I hear newscasters talk about the drought we’ve been experiencing around here for … forever, it… Continue reading Is the Drought Over Yet?

            It happens every time. I just cannot see the ocean without being overwhelmed with the greatness of our Creator God.              I grew up in Indiana, where the only things that stretched endlessly before me were school days and cornfields. But our family traveled annually to the Gulf Coast of Florida for spring break,… Continue reading God’s stamp is on our lives

            Some time ago, I was given a book about Abraham Lincoln. It sat parked on the runway for months, in line to take off behind a zillion other books I haven’t had time to read. But recently, I finally pulled it from the shelf and began reading through a section of quotations from old… Continue reading Wise Words From Honest Abe