PATRICIA KEOUGH WILSON

The tragedy in Houston and other nearby areas hit hard by Tropical Storm Harvey occupies me no matter what I am doing or where I am. I could weep but that only relieves some of my emotion. It does not intercede for the thousands and thousands of people caught in this huge disaster. Reports and photos of people risking lives to rescue those stranded and threatened by rising water soothes and causes me to praise and pray even harder. Considering the tough, horrible weeks ahead

The first time I heard the following verse I was on the phone with my youngest daughter. She might have been in college or between college years. Sometimes she seemed wiser than me. I don’t remember now what I was fearing. Fears of all kinds stalked me. I could be brave and adventurous or fearful and timid. Anxiety too often nibbled at my sense of safety. I stood with the phone to my ear, looking out my living room window at the lake, surrounded by beauty. Music played on my

I recently shared a photo of my mom and thoughts about parents and grandparents. Here’s a poem I wrote about taking care of my mom after all the years she cared for me. My brother was her main caretaker after my dad passed away. His wife was right there to help as were his children as they grew into adulthood. I was the once a year visitor but did fly to help out when she had surgery and after a bad fall. Other than that I was the gift that showed up to fuss over her while my

The words written by Madeleine L’Engle in a poem, Psalm 55: 12-14: A Contemplation of David caught me, held me, stayed with me. I need to take the time, make the time, to study that Psalm, to know David’s heart and situation when he wrote it. And I will. I love the Psalms and need no encouragement to read them, pray them, study them. But her words echoed as if she’d somehow known a recent struggle waged within my sorrowful heart. There is a vast difference between disappointm

I have an author Facebook page. It is inhabited by a community of people from all over and I have met very few of them in person. The interaction on that page has increased my thinking about the word community. What does the word community mean to you? Do you automatically belong to a community because you move into a neighborhood? How far are the boundaries of any community you might consider in response to that question? Is your concept of community inclusive, open and welc