Patti Richter, On Faith: A Wise Perspective on Hard Times

Patti Richter, On Faith: A Wise Perspective on Hard Times

(ROCKWALL, TX – June 22, 2020) My usual Saturday morning phone call to my elderly parents opened with a question I’d never before asked them: “Do you have plenty of toilet paper?” Isolated in the early months of COVID-19, they depended solely on my time-challenged sister’s weekly visit and grocery run. My father answered and eased […]

Patti Richter, On Faith: Panic, Peace, and Paradise Lost and Found

Patti Richter, On Faith: Panic, Peace, and Paradise Lost and Found

(ROCKWALL, TX – April 5, 2020) My heart beats faster as the clock strikes midnight in the fairy tale movie. Cinderella is running down the castle steps with the awful realization that her beautiful clothing will soon return to rags. I recall two episodes of real panic, and both involved the same child. Our son, at […]

Persevering: Amid Piles of Rubble or Puddles of Mush

Persevering: Amid Piles of Rubble or Puddles of Mush

The year 2020 arrived with more than a bang: a US embassy attack followed by ballistic missiles and the resulting loss of a passenger plane. Meanwhile, as Australia battled wildfire, several other countries experienced either earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. Closer to home, we watched a troubling impeachment trial and grieved the death of a beloved […]

Rockwall Stingerette Senior Showcase: Faith Brightwell

Rockwall Stingerette Senior Showcase: Faith Brightwell

(ROCKWALL, TX – Dec. 9, 2019) This week’s Stingerette Senior Showcase is Miss Faith Brightwell. Faith is the daughter of Cynthia Brightwell and Robert Brightwell. Faith currently holds the position of Stingerette Head Manager. She is also the Stingerette Chaplin. Faith also served as a past manager. Areas of interest for Faith are forensic science and […]

Clinging to Faith: A Close-Up View of Suffering

Clinging to Faith: A Close-Up View of Suffering

(ROCKWALL, TX — March 28, 2019) She sounded worried on the phone, and no wonder, her husband faced a federal indictment in connection to a former employer’s wrongdoings. The trouble was only beginning for my friend Luann and her family. Ominous clouds closed in on their once bright lives—rich in Christian fellowship, community service, and […]

Chick-fil-A awards Rockwall student with college scholarship

(ROCKWALL, TX – March 21, 2019) Big congrats to Faith Mitchell! She received a Leadership Scholarship from Chick-fil-A Rockwall for her incredible work at the restaurant and in our community. Faith has been serving guests at Chick-fil-A in Rockwall for the past year and a half. She volunteers with AWANA and goes on mission trips with […]

Raising Our Trust-in-God Quotient

Raising Our Trust-in-God Quotient

(ROCKWALL, TX — March 13, 2019) She was unstoppable and courageous. At least her pink shirt said so. But her sudden wailing revealed something else. She was rigid with fear after a sharp-toothed terrier rejected her affection. When my granddaughter suffered two wounds and received a few stitches for each, we gained a reminder about […]

Joining in the Esteem of Heaven

(ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX – Dec. 16, 2018) I fancied myself an actress after starring in my eighth grade play, but high school became more competitive. A girl named Mary received the lead role in our spring production while I accepted the part of collecting admission tickets for the event. When Mary graduated and left Arkansas to pursue […]

One Week in Heaven

One Week in Heaven

(ROCKWALL, TX — October 15, 2018) I have a new appreciation for the phrase, “My faith has become sight.”  My Mother spent most of her 100 years living “by faith”.  She could not see the future.  She did not live in the past, even though she had lots of it.  Growing up in a family […]

Discombobulated: When Your World Goes Awry

(ROCKWALL, TX – September 10, 2018) I always hoped to draw the “cozy cottage” card when playing The Game of Life. But now that I’m unpacking in a much smaller home I’m questioning my game plan. This current challenge does not compare with a life-threatening ordeal, but it sure feels like preparation for the next life. […]