Author Archives: Donna Coulson
Joy and Pain of Discovery
The desert has a formidable, cautionary kind of beauty. The mountains have strong, jagged angles with a hint of threat to them in shape and shadows, and the grey, powdery desert floor combines desolation, a lack of sympathy, and a surprise of shapes and colors. We took a 4-wheeler ride out to see a ghost … Continue reading
The Joy of Surprise
We took a drive today. We crossed the Colorado River then drove up the shore a few miles on the California side. It was the second time we’d made the trip (the first was unsuccessful) to try to find the elusive (at least for us) wild burro. It was a terrific afternoon that gave us … Continue reading
Desert Delight
Joy comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Here’s one example of my joy this week: Early Friday morning Karl and I drove out to the desert and found a spot on a ridge above a ‘wash’ to watch about a quarter of a mile section of a 425-mile race. The racers were souped-up … Continue reading
Embracing Joy
I’m a mountain and prairie girl. I’m a Caribbean Sea girl. I’ve never been a desert girl, and I know very little about it, but here we are spending two months in the Arizona, sitting beside the Colorado River in the desert. It’s a whole new world to explore. In our little ‘back yard’ area … Continue reading
Visions of gingerbread
We are just a few days before Christmas and all through our house Christmas is glinting and chiming and sparkling, and making me merry. I hope you can say the same. I am an absolute stickler for not opening ANY present early, I love staring at the pile of presents under the tree in happy … Continue reading
What’s in a name?
When I was little, I thought Christ was Jesus’ last name. You know, Mary Christ, Joseph Christ, and their son Jesus Christ. Of course, I eventually came to understand that Jesus is the name His mama called Him (ok, yes, it was Joseph, the step-dad who named Him as instructed by the angel). Names like Christ … Continue reading
Why?
In the novel I’m writing right now, the main character experiences something difficult. She is young and laments to her mother, “Why did God let this happen?” Her mother answers her saying, “I think you are asking the wrong question. It isn’t up to us to ask God why. He’s God, and He doesn’t owe … Continue reading
Light of the world
It’s been easy for me in the political and cultural tempest we live in to wonder if God isn’t tired of us. I’ve thought lately that I haven’t seen God’s hand in the workings of America very much in the last months. People seem angrier, more fearful, less loving, and I’ve wondered if God has … Continue reading
Toilet Paper
I’m not really a fan of compromise. Overall, I think that compromise should be avoided. Compromise means both parties give up something in order to meet in the middle. There’s nothing wrong with that when the issue is a small, one-time decision like what restaurant to go to this evening, or making a lunch date … Continue reading
The Perfector of …
As a writer, I love that the Bible says God is the Author and Perfector of our faith. I get that. I can relate to the work He does to nurture our stories. But today I thought of another metaphor that describes God’s role in our lives another way. I love to bake bread. I … Continue reading
