“The world is full of stories that aren’t true or are just plain depressing. I wanted to add something different to the mix—true stories about people I love who served the Lord with joy. From childhood memories of fun and freedom to the redeeming hope found in a grandmother’s funeral, this is a reflection on healing through writing and the power of carrying a legacy forward.”
Uncle Gary loved me all his life, revealing tenderness beneath his shell. Jesus commands us to the ultimate act of love: laying down our lives for friends. Every small act of service is a miniature reflection of this sacrifice, honoring the image of God in everyone we meet.
Ripples:
Imagine your life as a timeline, stretching from here to the horizon.
The space, a placid lake that watches sunsets and suns rising.
A timeline laid out before us, where it finishes we know not when.
It doesn’t seem so long measured against God, the beginning and the end.
Fertile plain, or level place. Compassionate friend. These are the Biblical meanings of my Aunt’s first and middle name. Aptly named. Aptly trained.
My younger brother passed away 3 years ago today. He would have been with us all yesterday, at Mom’s house. We miss him dearly.
First words I think of: Truth. Family. Eyes. Humor. Sports. Tremendous meals. John 14:6 – I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
I take many more pictures than I share. I am always looking for scenes, wildlife, and weather. Kind of a random glimpse of symmetry, if that makes sense. Then, some pictures are just taken to remember, respect, and recognize. Here are 21 pictures from October ’23.
May 14, 2023 – Mother’s Day – The Chosen Mother’s Day 2023 was approaching and I started to think on the subject a little more intently than I usually do. As strange as this…
May, 2023 – To My Friend, Ben – It was November, 2015 and despite having three older kids that played sports, including varsity sports at Goffstown High School, we had not experienced hockey at GHS…
Thank you Coach Slocum, not just for the 16 years. But for the joys, the celebrations, and maybe even a few tears.
Undaunted by adversity, and what others may deem; you were fair and honest. Years weren’t about you, but rather, the team.
Your teams exceeded predictions and set records, the wins they did amass. But nobody can take away your 16 seasons of exuding class.
The program must carry on, but it, I, will miss you. And this winter when I’m in the booth, I hope you’ll be on a beach, with a view.
I know that you would be the last one to do what I am about to do, but this one, Ben, this one is all about you.
So, spring of ’23 and I roll out some words in this rhyme, a Thank You Coach Slocum, words and numbers one last time.
April 14, 2023: I am missing my Dad. It has been seven years. 7 years not here. Dad, I miss you. But, how could I ever question God’s perfect timing. I know you are in your heavenly home and that thought alone makes me smile.
Last week I had a dream that my Aunt Thetis would be called home to heaven on December 12th. We all knew she had been suffering. God did call her home, regardless of my dream, on Monday, December 12th, 2022. Her suffering is no more.
A place I remembered well, where dreams were born, and memories made.
This was where children learned, loved, laughed, growing while they played.
June 12, 2022 ~ Lloyd Alton Peterson
Like so many times before, I get to this space, and the page is blank. I am contending with countless thoughts, but none of them are a beginning. Memories speed past me like pickup trucks would if I were standing still on the shoulder of I-95 between Old Town and Island Falls.
You’re going to think I’m nuts, if you don’t think so already. For months now, I have not slept well or often enough. Nearly all of my physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional energy has been…
Hopefully this hockey season will go down as the most peculiar season of all time, and as the only one of it’s kind. Despite all of the misinformation and uncertainty, it was a near miracle that there was a season at all. I would be a complete fraud if I didn’t also promote the idea of how incredibly uplifting it was to play games, to embrace competition, and to know that the kids were simply able to play. Easily the happiest of my leisure activities over the winter, was watching the kids play. Kids playing the sport they love, as they should.
There I Can’t Wait To Be.
It was early this morning, cold and dark, and I was humbled in prayer
For my Uncle I asked that God’s will be done, was he better here, or up there?
Jefferson, NH sunset. It was a few hours until Veteran’s Day but I was thinking about those who have served, and still do. Thank you.
I was driving in New Hampshire, headed toward the beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee area on Tuesday evening when I got the message from my Mom. My Aunt Shirley had passed away, up in New Brunswick, Canada.
From Sullivan Arena, St. Anselm College, Goffstown, NH – Wednesday night, February 12, 2020
Goffstown finally returned to their home ice after 32 days away from Sullivan Arena. They played host to John Stark – Hopkinton (JSH), one of the better teams in NH high school hockey. The Grizzlies fell behind 3-0 and clawed back to tie things up, sending the game to overtime. Ultimately, the visitors won the game, 4-3 in another instant classic between these two programs. The Battle of 114. I will try to tell you a little bit about it. I hope you enjoy.
On Wednesday night, February 12th, 2020, Goffstown hosts John Stark-Hopkinton in NHIAA varsity hockey. This is going to be a big night! Please join us! All proceeds from the gate will be donated to the…
I didn’t know about the website or the event. I just knew that this scene grabbed my attention when I drove by it one day. I love our flag. It’s even better when there are a lot of them. I love our veterans. This little field made me stop and look at it again. I have been by there several times since.
Maybe it’s just me but for most of my life I never really stopped to think about heroes. I mean I had all kinds of sports heroes I guess, but I certainly didn’t think of these people, athletes, or whomever as heroes. When I was young I enjoyed Saturday morning cartoons and the Super Friends, but that wasn’t realistic to me. There were cowboys from TV shows and black and white movies that I wished I could be. And there were my favorites, the Indians, the Native Americans, the people that were already on this continent that I really wanted to be. I fell in love with the images and stories of these people.
Numerous folks were looking for information regarding services or a gathering to remember/celebrate Shane. Thanks to family and friends I have the following information to share if anyone needs it or wants it. Thank you for all those who have reached out, and/or shared stories, memories, or thoughts. Please feel free to continue commenting here as Shane’s life can continue to be written and remembered for some time to come. Thank you.
Two years ago this morning, my Dad passed away. To me, the date April 14th has now been redefined forever. As this date neared, and ultimately arrived, I have had many folks share their warm…
It’s been more than a year wince Wendy Tefft died. I am no detective and only have access to the same information that everyone else has access to. But for some 380 days now, I have wondered just how many questions are there left to answer regarding her death.
People that have impacted me, among many, many others, are dying. Maybe I even knew some of them.
Happy Mother’s Day!!! I have said it many, many times; a Mother’s role or job, is the most important job on the planet. I am fortunate to have been blessed so abundantly. God saw…
It’s been a year now, 12 whole months since a miraculous life here on earth expired. I remember the weeks leading to the day that we all knew would come sometime. There was so much support, many prayers and efforts, regardless of being tired. Amid the details though, it wasn’t too difficult, a beautiful love, to find.
(Originally posted on April 7, 2017) The Northern Lights forecast that I check periodically. Late on the evening of March 29, 2017, somewhere around 11:00 pm, I was compelled to check a website that I…
(Originally posted on 4/2/17) Sometimes, God sees fit to place us, from birth, in the care of a mother who will spend the rest of her days mastering the skill of motherhood. These mothers, they…