15 Questions to Avoid Burnout
This week, I lead a seminar on “burnout” for instructors. Ironically, I’d been feeling disengaged, exhausted, bored, and unmotivated myself. Sometimes, I have weeks when teaching and writing seem to have lost all meaning. I’m burned out. I decided to work through the same questions I ask graduate students and instructors this week, and by […]
I Hear Things Melting
All morning at my desk, I hear the drip, drip, dripping of melting snow and ice. We’re thawing, folks. Water trickles down the gutters and flows into great puddles. It’s a beautiful sound. I love to hear the work of thawing. Those icicles and snow banks stand no chance against this bright March sun. I […]
Goodnight Toes: A Tuck In Blessing
My daughters are too old for the “tuck in blessing” I performed when they were toddlers. Back then, they loved how I put each and every body part to sleep and then blessed it. I’d ask God to take those little feet to extraordinary places. I invoked a blessing over the knees so God might […]
Just Bring Flowers
With school canceled due to an impending snow storm, we stay warm inside and have a quiet day. It’s dreary. But then I observe my favorite flower–the Stargazer Lily– and my new favorite, Orange Ranunculus, in the bouquet a dear friend purchased for me last night. A bouquet of fresh cut flowers represents undeserved luxury […]
“Even if it’s the end, it’s just the beginning.”
Today my husband reminds me that when something ends, it’s really just the beginning. He’s talking about the hope of the gospel in the face of death. He’s even talking about the metaphorical deaths of dreams or careers or relationships. Endings are beginnings with Jesus. —————-Is something coming to an end for you?
Stay Quiet, Look for Clues
A writer’s life has seasons, too. After output, you gather yourself back in, plant new seeds, and let things percolate deep inside until they’re ready to emerge. You stay quiet. You think. You watch the snow fall and listen to music. You reread old poetry books. You discover dusty old college papers about language–when poetry […]
Ready If You Need It
Two days ago, I bake six chicken breasts (with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper) at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. I have the genius idea of chopping the baked chicken and freezing it in servings for future chicken pot pies, casseroles, or salads. This has never occurred to me before. I’m good at […]
Don’t Forget to Convalesce
Years ago, a nurse told me that the day you feel better after an illness is the day you should get back in bed. “But I feel better,” I explained. “You need one more day.” I learn that folks make the mistake of diving back into life too quickly after an illness. They forget to […]
It’s Going To Take Some Time
Last night, my friend Jo comforts me by saying, “It just takes time. It’s going to take some time.” As you know, I’m not very good at being sick. I’m not brave, stoic, or positive while vomiting or fighting the chills. I’m dramatic, negative, and hopeless. I see no end to it. My friend just […]
At Just the Right Time: 2 Bright Spots on a Miserable Day
Day two of this virus has me curled in bed (this will be short!). Nothing’s changed! I’m still so sick! Just as I consider that God has forgotten me, I read the words of my new favorite blogger over at Hopefully Devoted. Today, she writes about Jericho. She says this: “I wonder how the Israelites […]