The Next Step
My one-eyed cat, Jack, has taken another important step. Remember how wounded and sick Jack was? How unattractive and miserable? We brought him home and gave him all the love we could. He’d lost his ability to purr. He couldn’t even meow. His whole kitty identity seemed withered and dying. Then one day, he […]
I Have an Announcement!
A Basement for Dancing Last night, for Monday Night Fitness Group, we have 15 children and their parents gather to dance and jump rope in my basement. The space isn’t fancy–it’s just big enough to let a group of children dance for one hour. As we finish up with jumping jacks and a game of […]
What Can Warm You
A Woodpile This time of year in Pennsylvania, I can see woodpiles in the side yards of homes. Folks use wood burning stoves or fireplaces to heat their homes in the cold winter. Every time I pass by these wood piles, I experience a particular nostalgia for warm, cozy rooms. I can hear the crackle […]
The Danger of Inviting God In
Last night, my youngest daughter and I read together from a book, and it occurs to me that she’s actually reading. She’s actually reading words. She’ll never be the same. Once you learn to read, you can’t undo it. You see a word, and you must read it. You can’t refuse. The effects of learning […]
It Really Works!
Green Tomatoes Leftover from Summer I was a doubter about the whole ripening-tomatoes-in-the-basement plan. Everybody said they would rot. Everybody said they wouldn’t taste the same. My daughter and I journey to the basement late yesterday and sit cross-legged before a box of tomatoes wrapped in newspaper. Just a few weeks ago, we gathered all […]
Your Beautiful Moments
I introduce Memoir Writing to my students today, and I ask them to write down one or two examples of beautiful moments they’ve experienced. I’m always amazed, year after year, with the types of things we remember from our childhoods. Without fail, a student’s beautiful moment has something to do with nature, friendship, God, travel, […]
What We Think and Do Not Say
Yesterday, I write an unusual email to a friend who lives in a different part of the country. We rarely talk on the phone. We haven’t seen each other for years. But this week, I think about her several times for interesting reasons. So I write a numbered list of all the times her face […]
Does Happiness Have a Sound?
Lately, I’ve been amazed at how loud the autumn leaves are. They crunch underfoot, and those left in the trees chatter as the wind blows. And then there’s the haunting whisper of a leaf as it descends–barely audible–but still vibrating whether I perceive it or not. I stop everything and gaze at that leaf. It […]
Something Strange at the Voting Booth
In my neighborhood, we all gather at the small Baptist church to vote. We come and line up, all of us representing different party affiliations. I love this moment, and sometimes I’ve even been known to cry right there in the line. I’m one very tiny voice in a very large democracy. My ballot represents […]
Love is a Tornado
This morning, my daughter hands me a little card that says her love for me is like a tornado. She drew a picture of a tornado and wrote, “It’s like this.” I turn to her and say, “You mean it’s powerful and destructive?” She smiles and pretends she’s punching me. She tries to explain the […]