Table of Contents
Preface 9Introduction: Mystery in the Midst of the Mundane 11
SECTION ONE: The Gifts of Place and People 16
1. Kansas, Here We Come 17
2. Readjusting Dreams 28
3. You Prepare a Table Before Me 31
4. Looking Back 39
5. Making a House a Home 45
6. A Well-Told Story 49
7. A Name 57
8. A Jitterbug/Slow-Waltz Romance 60
9. A Personal Lesson In Obedience 63
10. Praise the Lord, the Drought Is Over! 70
11. Fire In Them Thar Hills 75
12. The Fire We Did Not Set 81
SECTION TWO: The Gift of Animals 86
13. Blind Mama 87
14. Peg 91
15. A Wool Story 97
16. Lessons In Lambing 101
17. From the Mouth of a Donkey? 105
18. My “Hey, Sheep” 109
SECTION THREE: The Gifts Can Keep On Giving 115
19. A Barn? Or the Longest Covered Bridge In Kansas? 116
20. A Poustinia Experience 123
21. The Blessings of Solitude: Come Walk With Me 127
22. Transformations 133
23. A Purposefully Chosen Life 140
SECTION FOUR: A Gift of a Story 147
24. An Idea Is Born 148
25. The Vision Grows: The Second Phase 153
26. Annual Christmas Pageant: The Third Phase 162
27. Bethlehem Revisited: The Grand Phase 166
28. A Dog, a Donkey, and an Old Soul 172
Epilog: Markers of Blessing for New Stories 177Appendix: My Recommended Reading List 181
About the Author 183