Category Archives: Friendship

Do Miracles Still Happen? Prayer Series; Part 4

Janis Van Keuren

The Rose Bush Donated and Planted in Our Garden in Honor of  Mom      Tubes hung from my mother’s limp body while monitors beeped and clicked the hidden conditions of her heart, lungs, respirations, blood pressure, and other bodily functions.  I stared blankly out the window of her Intensive Care room and then looked lovingly back at her.     It was not supposed to go this way.  Although the surgery was complex, especially for an 84-year-old woman, the surgeon had … Continue reading →

Giving Thanks for the Abundant Blessings from His Hand

Janis Van Keuren

Mother’s Day Brunch by the Guys      My heart is full today as I watch my guys outside shooting baskets. What could make a mother’s heart more grateful than to see her family together, happy, playing around, glad to be there. My heart swelled with joy as all my men goofed around (even Chip, the wonder dog played ball). This was celebration. For this my heart longed. For this my heart rejoiced.      Temperate breezes whispered through wind chimes while … Continue reading →

How Great is His Goodness

Janis Van Keuren

     Heaven-sized cotton ball clouds danced across the azure sky. The bright, brisk day captivated my senses and I drank deeply of the celestial portrait. It was His gift to me. The painting. The dew-washed air breathing relief to my recently stress-tightened chest. The chatter of friends–we women who celebrate our annual gathering with laughter, silliness, long talks, encouragement for the dark moments in each other’s lives, time basking in His creation, and, of course, shopping. Each moment was His … Continue reading →

Drinking from the River of Delights

Janis Van Keuren

         Sliding across the soft leather back seat of our friends car, my emotions bounced between guilt and giddy. I was driving away from our home with chores still hanging on my “to do list” and no dinner prepared for my young guys. Not that they can’t find something in the frig to cook. It’s just the “Mom Guilt” nagging my mind.     Yet, the spontaneous pleasure of an evening with hubby and our friends, escaping from responsibilities like a carefree … Continue reading →

Finding Rest in Friendship and Slowing Down

Janis Van Keuren

          When I first started making plans for Spring Break, I realized my family and I did not have a break at the same time. This break would not be an opportunity to pack up and vacate for even a few days. I was not overly disappointed, however, because hubby and I have some special summer plans that are developing.     So I immersed myself in Plan B with a cleaning schedule to rival the power of the “white tornado.” … Continue reading →

A Taste of Love

Janis Van Keuren

         Last night, we celebrated our Valentine’s Day event with a midwestern style roast, Italian wedge-shaped potatoes baked in the oven and a homemade chocolate cake. Well the cake was from a mix but the frosting was more than homemade. It took two recipes to find the right consistency for the semi-sweet chocolate frosting.     While I planned on posting the picture of the cake decorated with candy hearts and hugged by Valentine Hershey kisses, I forgot and began serving … Continue reading →

Great Friends, Great Food, “Tres Leches” Dessert

Janis Van Keuren

     Life tossed us a curve ball when more than an earthquake uprooted hundreds of us women from our carefree family lives in California. We were driven across the mighty Colorado, actually just a meandering river at the Interstate 10 state border, and transplanted into the blazing desert sun of Arizona. But have no fear, we were told, “It’s a dry heat.”     No kidding! We only saw water in washes swollen from the summer monsoon deluges. Those were few and … Continue reading →

Thanksgiving Memories

Janis Van Keuren

  Vicki’s Holiday Tradition of Making Oreo Turkeys for everyone          Those turkeys pop open in a facebook post and memories wash over me. I remember my days as a teaching assistant at a Christian school in California. Laughter, friendship, hearts knit tightly with love. Joy found in the everyday. Smiles brushed warm hellos between classrooms. Hands clasped in prayer over hurting hearts. God’s word the balm, the light, the prescription.  “Walk the talk,” a phrase that flowed like breath, … Continue reading →

The Blessedness of Friendship

Janis Van Keuren

“I count myself in nothing else so happy as in a soul rememb’ring my good friends.” William Shakespeare      Winding up the mountain road, praise music reverberated through the car as we beheld His majestic creation.  Strong boulders piled in formation, one atop the other stretched across the mountainside.  My friend exclaimed from the back seat, “Look, it’s the cloud of witnesses.”  Her description of the pillared boulders.  Others had already been named by the park service–“The Seven Cataracts”; “The … Continue reading →

On the Mountaintop with Friends

Janis Van Keuren

     Climbing mountaintops with our special friends, Jon and Julie.  We’ve known each other for 23 years, been separated by a distance of  500+ miles, yet our relationship continues to reach new heights. Through the years, we have supported each other in the raising of our young men, cheered each other through the good times,  shared and prayed with each other through the difficult times, talked hours on the phone, traveled hundreds of miles just to laugh, cry, and shop … Continue reading →