RECENT ARTICLES FROM THE NUGGET
Have you ever been happy with yourself, totally satisfied? I felt that way a few weeks ago when I re-wrote the first chapter of the novel I had just completed. The story, engaging and the characters, sassy and insightful. The end product was, well, a masterpiece...
Trying to adjust to our new home and culture in the U.S., I looked different than the sixth grade girls. But in time, I learned enough English to understand their harsh comments. How could I build self-esteem while enduring the ridicule from my classmates? They were...
I have to admit, I’m married to a man who knows the power of words. Last night, before dinner, I pulled out forks from the silverware drawer. I turned to hubby and in a casual tone, I said, “Know what? I just heard of a natural supplement that curbs your craving for...
It was Halloween and my young sons were already learning how to deal with disappointment. After hours of trick or treating, they walked in with bags jammed with Halloween candy. I greeted them at the door and held out my hand. “Give them all to Mom.” I said faking a...
Is that possible? Do ordinary people do extraordinary things? I asked myself that when my grandmother hugged me and kissed my cheek as we stood beside the old taxi cab that would take us to the La Paz airport and head to our new home in the U.S. “Someday, you’ll do...
"Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." (1 Timothy 4:16) "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God...
It was a cold, cloudy and rainy morning outside my kitchen window today. I shivered and walked over to the kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee in one hand and a steaming bowl of oatmeal in the other. I sat down, gave thanks, and took in a spoonful of the...
Sarah was a cheerful, pleasant, person, who worked hard to communicate in a culture that was quite foreign to her. She read books to learn the language, watched TV to study the vernacular. She hired out to families, taking care of babies as a newborn-nurse. This young...
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Phil 4:8) It was my freshman year of college and I...
"Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.'" (John 4:10) "Jesus answered and said to her, 'Whoever drinks of this water shall thirst again: But whoever...
"Over a hundred years? Who in the world wants to live that long!" my friend said as she read the story of the man who has been documented as living the longest in modern times--a Bolivian man, reported to be 123 years old. Carmelo Flores Laura recently died after...
How can a heart so broken and crippled by shattered dreams and the death of trust love again? When from the innermost chambers of soul and spirit pours forth rage and fear, powerlessness and ambivalence; how can Your light shine? How can the Sun shine again when to me...
"It's the coolest thing!" my friend nearly squealed. "Hubby got it for me. And I wear it on my wrist." Curiosity nudged me to ask, "What is it? A gorgeous bracelet?" "No," she chuckled. "It's called a Fit Bit. And it's a bracelet programmed to my cell. It measures...