Wildflower Writes

Photo by  Christopher Williams  on  Unsplas h In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , Sam is trying to convince Smeagol the value of potatoes: “Boil ‘em, mash ‘em, stick ‘em in a stew. Lovely big golden chips with a nice piece of fried fish.” Potatoes really are versatile. Sam didn’t even mention potato skins, tater tots, gnocchi, hash browns, home fries… my grandmother even made leftover mashed potatoes into cinnamon rolls. If we can do all these amazing things with potatoes, just think what God can do with you! Sometimes it seems, in the grand scheme of things, among 7 billion current earth dwellers, across thousands of years, our contribution is so small. But only God has to worry about the “grand scheme.” Just like a thousand individual paint strokes come together to create a masterpiece, you have a part to play. You may represent a scattering of snow on a mountaintop or the shadow of a tree, but the painting is not complete without you. We may not get to see...

Sometimes it feels like nothing you do or say makes a difference in your world.  Sometimes it feels like no one knows you exist.  Sometimes it feels like you’ve accomplished nothing in your life.  Sometimes it feels like you’re just a cog in a giant machine.  You ask yourself, “why am I here?” I heard a song on the radio today ”Something to Say” by Matthew West, that seemed to answer that question. You’ve got something to say If you’re living, if you’re breathing You’ve got something to say You know if you’re heart is beating You’ve got something to say And no one can say it like you do God is love and love speaks through You got it, you got it You’ve got something to say Do you believe that we live in a world where every human being has a designated role, a part to play on the grand stage of life?  If you’ve ever been in a dramatic production, you know that every member of the cast is vital to t...

The following is a guest blog by my dad, Dallas Johnston: I’m no expert. I never read Parents Magazines. And my nature is to be short on patience and, at times, a fairly quick temper. But, I’ve always felt that most of parenting is “Common Sense”, which in general, is my forte. More important, I’ve felt from day one of becoming a Dad, that being a good parent is probably the most important thing I’ll do in my lifetime. Everyone is limited to the amount of impact they can have on the world, but your kids and their kids for generations to come can have a huge impact to make the world a better place. Become a working partner with Mom .. I learned this one from my parents. When one of you has “had it up to here”, the other needs to become stronger. When one of you loses their temper, the other needs to be the one to soften things up. There should be times when you can casually talk to each other about your kids. Take advantage of the opportunity to work as a team. Enjoy all the phases of ...

“It’s a golden doodle,” said my co-worker. She had brought pictures of her new puppy to work. “A what?” I asked. “A cross between a golden retriever and a poodle. A golden doodle.” she repeated. The photograph showed a miniature canine with pale gold kinky fur, long ears, and bright black eyes. It was playing in the grass. “Where does the “d” come from in doodle?” I asked. A doodle was a scribble on a piece of paper. It was not a dog. “I don’t know!” she exclaimed, a little exasperated with me. I remember the days when dogs stuck to their own kind. There were no schnoodles or doodles or mi-kis. Who do we think we are, messing with nature? My first dog was one third red setter, one third husky, and one third collie. I’m not sure how you breed a dog by thirds, but that was how I remember it. Her name was Frances. She loved to run through the open field at the end of the road. Frances also liked to swim, which was bad news whenever she managed to escape from the house. S...

I don’t have prejudices. I see all people as the same- without distinction in their color, gender, or religion. Yeah, right. Is that even possible? My entire life I’ve been influenced by friends, family, television, magazines, and an entire culture. Beyond whatever I want to believe or think, there are constant voices whispering in my ear from a thousand directions to influence me otherwise. All I can do is act on what I know is right, and true, and fair. Even when I’m the one being discriminated against. “You the one who put us all in the dirtiest, greasiest jobs out there,” he said. Our newest nursing home resident was accusing me personally of relegating his entire race to the worst jobs available at the time he earned a living in a factory. I was speechless. What do you say to something like that? “You been white all your life, ain’t you?” he asked. “Afraid so,” I said, trying to make light of the situation. It really was a silly question. “That’s kinda beyond my contro...