I listened to a familiar old hymn today and noticed the phrase “In the Night Season.” I used to think those words meant night-time. You know, when the sun went down and it was night. But today I realized the author of that song meant hard times, dark valleys, or total heartbreak.

It’s easy to praise God during shady days and cool, quiet nights. Happy times put a spring in the step, and we can’t imagine life any other way. For sure, God is so good He will get us through anything. 

My first three children were each born during the summer, which meant I wasn’t very far along in the pregnancy at Christmas time. But with Benjamin I was 35 weeks along on Christmas Day. I had been in my twenty’s when I carried the first three, but was thirty-six years old while carrying Ben. Age made a big difference in the comfort of that pregnancy, because I carried him for thirty-nine weeks, and was sick thirty-four of them.

My father, Paul Griffin Sr, would have turned 89 today, if he hadn't gone to heaven three weeks ago.

When my husband died the children and I had no idea how we would make it through our first Christmas without him. He was killed on the twenty-fifth, a fact that hadn’t escaped any of us. How could we celebrate Christmas, or anything at all if he wasn’t there?

I wish I had known more about being a Mom before I became one, then I might not have made as many mistakes…

 "And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:26

On January 16, 2017 my parents will celebrate their 60th (yes, sixtieth) wedding anniversary. For the occasion of their 50th anniversary my brother Stan wrote a tribute to our Mom and Dad. I am publishing it here for all to read.

As a youngtall-flagster I often heard adults recall the day that President Kennedy was assassinated. Their voices were quiet and sober. They all said the same thing: “I know right where I was when I found out JFK had been shot. And I will never forget how sobering it was for our country.”