Blog

For Wilshire Baptist Church

My high school class is gearing up for the 45th reunion, and after sitting on the fence for a month, I’ve finally climbed down on the side of those who aren’t going. Why? Because I don’t know anyone.

That’s mostly true. I’ve reviewed the list of those who are going, and I know most of the names on the list. I knew them in the hallways and in some classes and some by reputation or rumor, but I never knew them beyond that. And with the exception of a handful of Facebook “friends,” I’ve not seen anyone on the list in person in 35 years. I think it’s a little late to try to meet them now.

Continue reading “Clique Bait”

For Wilshire Baptist Church

The spider lilies are blooming. It’s the first day of fall and we’re having a late, near-record heat wave, and yet the spider lilies have come up in the yard as they do each fall with their red spidery blooms atop their thin, light green stems. They’re confirmation that change is coming. Cooler weather will be on our doorstep soon.

When I was younger, I looked for signs of fall in other places, but they don’t seem as reliable as they once were. In my memory it was always cooler when school started, but the high schoolers who walk through our neighborhood to school have had to endure temperatures near 100. Football is the ultimate fall sport, and yet last weekend we almost burst into flame under a blazing midday sun as we watched our team. But the spider lilies? They’re the real deal; they know what’s going on.

Continue reading “Change and Hope”

For Wilshire Baptist Church

I can’t believe someone stole our ice chest – out of the corner of our yard in broad daylight. It was there one minute and gone the next. I don’t know if it’s a random event or just another disappointing sign of the times.

So, why was the ice chest out there unattended in the first place? Glad you asked. Since the first day of school, we’d been putting the ice chest out under the tree next to our turquoise table. We stocked it with iced-down bottles of water and a sign taped to it that said, “Free Water.” We put it out there for the high school kids who walk down our street after school from about 2:50 to 3:10. It was still 100-plus degrees on those first days, and we thought it might be something nice to do.

Continue reading “Cold Case”