Kathy Burnham Howington

Tying Your Shoes

Our father just celebrated his 87th birthday. As he has aged agility and presence of mind has slowly taken its toll on his body and mind. He is often forgetful. He is almost obsessed by food. He stumbles and falls sometimes. He loses his words and often points, whispers or shrugs. His hearing is failing.Continue reading “Tying Your Shoes”

You Are My Sunshine

My sister is a delightful human being. She just happens to have Down Syndrome. However, she isn’t defined by that. Krista is defined by love. … You Are My Sunshine

You Are My Sunshine

My sister is a delightful human being. She just happens to have Down Syndrome. However, she isn’t defined by that. Krista is defined by love. Krista is defined by acceptance. Krista is defined by joy. When she was about 2 years of age I taught her the song “You Are my Sunshine.” I would playContinue reading “You Are My Sunshine”

Sand in the Bed

It’s so fun to visit the beach. The sun is beaming. The waves are crashing. The children are laughing. The adults are relaxing. And then of course there is the sand. Sand is everywhere. No matter how much you wash, some of the sand remains. We dropped a top to a bottle and thoroughly washedContinue reading “Sand in the Bed”

The Sin of “I”

Adam and Eve were guilty of the sin of “I” in the Garden of Eden. They were in a perfect setting but it wasn’t good enough. The forbidden fruit looked so appealing, so enticing that it negated everything that God had told them. They chose to take it and eat it. They chose to listenContinue reading “The Sin of “I””

Surcharges Included

There is a trend lately to charge the customer with the 3.5% or more that the credit card company typically charges the business. The convenience of using credit now comes with a cost. Recently when preparing for surgery, the medical facility urged me to write a check instead of paying with a credit card soContinue reading “Surcharges Included”

One Step at a Time: Avoid the Bumps

Children love stories. Grandchildren especially love hearing stories about their parents when they were children. Recently we had the privilege of keeping two of our grandchildren so naturally I shared many stories about their dad as a child. They were always mesmerized when I started one of the narratives. One story was about Joshua whenContinue reading “One Step at a Time: Avoid the Bumps”

Being Present

We are no longer a “present” people. We’re distracted with information at warp speed. We constantly multi-task. We have access to music, movies and sports 24/7. No longer do we have to wait for our favorite television program to appear on the schedule. We can stream it. Now. On demand. How does that affect ourContinue reading “Being Present”

One Step at a Time: Walking the Walk

A sudden fall took my 86 year old father by surprise. He wasn’t doing anything extraordinary….just fetching a take out pizza. However, the missed step caused him to falter. Several young men saw him fall and quickly ran up to him assisting him in order to get him to his feet. He declared that heContinue reading “One Step at a Time: Walking the Walk”

Nature’s Call: Hummers

The hummingbirds are taking over! The hummingbirds seemed to get a late start this year. Typically they are all a flitter in March or April but they postponed their arrival until June this year. Many friends were even posting on Facebook asking where these little ones were. Nobody knew. But they are here now andContinue reading “Nature’s Call: Hummers”