The Clamping
Today I read a curious command from God in Psalm 81:10: “Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it.” I ask so many questions: What does it mean that I open wide my mouth? How do I open wide my mouth? What prevents me from opening wide my mouth? I found this gem of a […]
It’s So Hard Not to Lift the Lid
Today I have my favorite crock pot recipe cooking happily along while I’m on campus. It’s pot roast with the packet of onion soup, some cream of mushroom soup, some liquid at the bottom like beef broth, and some carrots and onions. There’s nothing quite like coming home on a winter’s evening to a crock […]
A Snowfall and a Forest
The morning offered me a snowfall and a forest. Thank you, God, for this. We all decided to walk through the woods to school instead of on the paved path alongside the trees. I wanted to find animal tracks in the snow, and I scanned the ground. Along the way, we saw what we thought were […]
The Verbs that Shape You
On the first day of my advanced writing class that serves as professional development for majors in the humanities, I asked students to fill in the blank with a vivid verb: “In my dream career, I _____________.” What would they write? What verb would they choose? Would they heal, preserve, enlighten? Would they cultivate, protect, […]
I Walked Anyway
Today some of us adults decided to walk to school even though our children were already there for early band practice. There we were, walking to school without children. (Actually, one dad sent his son last minute, so we walked someone else’s child to school.) We talked about life and work and even our souls. Yes, we […]
“It Isn’t the Walk I Love”
This morning on the walk to school, we discuss the 75 year Harvard Grant Study that attempted to answer the question of what makes a meaningful and happy life. Researchers concluded that happiness and satisfaction are never about money, power, fame, or any of the things we might assume. It was, by far, the quality of relationships. […]
The Undecorating
I notice today that nobody ever posts photos of undecorating. Nobody wants to see a house dismantled of its glorious holiday adornment. I find it curious because I love taking down the decorations as much as I love putting them up. Stripping down the house back to that pure, simple home creates a sense of […]
Making Music With Whatever’s Around
Last night I heard David Crowder play guitar and sing. I was fascinated by the unusual instrumentation of the band behind him–and even his own techniques–that he’s now become famous for. I couldn’t name all the instruments, but I know that some of the band played on found metal objects and even made music by […]
The Truest Sentence You Know
I read this quote about writing today from Ernest Hemingway, and I think about it all afternoon: “All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence you know.” And then you do it over and over again.
When You Return: A True Story
Last night, my mom told me something incredible that I had forgotten about my time on Little Hunting Creek. One day, a Canada goose flopped around in our backyard with a broken wing. He was obviously in distress and obviously in pain. Our neighbor’s teenage daughter came to help us catch the goose to then call […]