by Marie | Advice, Devotionals, Faith, Growth, Hope, Hurricanes, Learn, Life, Marie Wells Coutu, Storms, Such a Moment
When you repair a storm-damaged house, you may need to first strip it down to the bare frame. Sometimes God has to strip us down to basics, too. That was only one of several life lessons provided last week from a seemingly unlikely source: high school students. The...
by Marie | animals, Death, Devotionals, Faith, Lion, Marie Wells Coutu, Mended Vessels, Such a Moment, Zoo
We visited the zoo on Saturday. My brain kept going back to a Simon and Garfunkel song from my college days, “At the Zoo.” “It’s all happening at the zoo,” the lyrics say. “The monkeys stand for honesty. Giraffes are insincere. And...
by Marie | Devotionals, Faith, Life, Marie Wells Coutu, Mended Vessels, Such a Moment, Trust
Sometimes you’re late and sometimes you’re early. Being early can be an advantage. Several weeks ago, I hurried to a meeting, thinking I was late. I arrived about 10 minutes after the announced meeting time, but no one was around. Finally, it occurred to me to check...
by Marie | Devotionals, Disappointments, Faith, Forgiveness, Marie Wells Coutu, Mended Vessels, Such a Moment, Waiting
The cruise ship was scheduled to stop in two ports: one city (Nassau, Bahamas) and one beach (Coco Cay, Bahamas). But the weather predicted for the second day would make the Coco Cay stop too dangerous, as passengers had to be tendered to shore, and the wind was...
by Marie | Devotionals, Faith, Gratitude, Hearing, Listening, Marie Wells Coutu, Mended Vessels, Such a Moment
My current novel-in-progress features a main character who is deaf, so I’ve been researching hearing loss and how deaf people communicate. I’ve always enjoyed watching an interpreter use American Sign Language, especially during songs at church....