by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Feb 10, 2009 | neighbors
In the early hours before dawn my husband had to catch a flight. Neither of us slept well, waiting for the 4:00am alarm to ring and preparing for the dash out the door. So, by the time the alarm rang, we were both up moving about, him getting dressed, me packing for...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Feb 6, 2009 | healing
I’m in the midst of my third cold in about as many months. It may be my imagination, but they seem to follow visits with grandchildren. Exposure to unfamiliar strains of cold viruses, perhaps? Maybe it’s just that, after months and months of burning the...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Feb 1, 2009 | pets
The cats, all four of them, have sensed the change in our household since Abby’s departure Friday morning. We’ve put away her beds and gathered up her snacks and toys. But it’s more than that.One of our older cats, Patty, is quite feral and does not...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Jan 31, 2009 | pets
Last night was a long night for my husband and me. Our little 15 year old mixed terrier mutt, who’s been declining for the last year, awakened us shortly after midnight in great distress. She was obviously in pain. We got her and ourselves together and to the...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Jan 31, 2009 | Career
When I was in junior high and high school, I played basketball. I was pretty good, making the varsity team as a freshman. Later I was a cheerleader. I was reasonably athletic. But that was many years (and pounds) ago. Today I wear a pedometer and hope to achieve a...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Jan 25, 2009 | holiness
A couple of years ago a friend gave my husband and me really nice Mont Blanc pens. Bill’s is a ball point pen; mine is a cartridge fountain pen. I enjoy using it and generally keep it clipped inside my journal. Several days ago, I apparently left it lying on the...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Jan 18, 2009 | Career
In recent months, as I completed graduate school and UMC certification studies and sought employment opportunities, I had been feeling a nagging impulse to take the next step in the UMC church toward a local pastor license as a means to being legitimately entitled to...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Jan 18, 2009 | brokenness
In my job I work with individuals in substance abuse recovery. While in the program they take several classes on spiritual topics from books that are familiar to many – Purpose Driven Life, Crown Financial, Changes that Heal, Boundaries, etc. Several of them are...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Jan 17, 2009 | small delights
When I was a child, if a part of a piece of equipment broke, one sought out a replacement part. One didn’t have the financial luxury to simply replace the entire piece of equipment. Increasingly, it appears, our culture has developed a “disposable”...
by Cathy Boyd Byrd | Jan 14, 2009 | spiritual formation
Over the last couple of years there has been ongoing conversation among leaders in our church and with the pastoral staff about striking a balance between the needs of those among the ranks of “seekers”, nominal Christians, and new Christians in our church...
