Another Great Question to Ask Your Children (or Anyone!)
Last night my friend shares with me a great question to ask friends and family. Here it is: What three words would you use to describe your life right now? When I ask my own children and husband at bedtime, I’m amazed with how quickly they answer. I’m amazed at the diversity of responses. I’m amazed […]
How Little It Takes
I’m standing in the shade of a tree. The branches make long shadows on the lawns around me. A man in a riding mower stirs up the warm scent of freshly mown grass. It’s a sweet, comforting smell. It’s cool and dark by this trunk. The summer breeze blows my hair across my cheek. I’m […]
There’s a Stop Sign There
Today, I nearly drive right through an intersection because I forget the stop sign. It just doesn’t seem right for there to be a stop sign there anyway. It’s a long stretch of road with just a teeny-tiny parking lot to the left with a stop sign for oncoming traffic to let those cars out. […]
Ripe with Anticipation
Today I hear the phrase that something felt “ripe with anticipation,” and I realize that’s a wonderful feeling to cultivate. You wake up, eagerly expecting the marvelous blessings of God–often disguised–awaiting you. You wake up nearly bursting because of the day’s possibilities. This very moment might be seen as ripe with anticipation. So I cultivate […]
“Always Make New Mistakes”
Today I see a fun magnet in a bookstore. It simply says, “Always make new mistakes.” I smile because it’s exactly the kind of mindset that sets someone free to do extraordinary things. My youngest considers the strange advice, and I can tell she’s wondering about this. Normally, she hears advice to do her best, […]
Rose-Moles All in Stipple
Today I see the trout that Gerard Manley Hopkins describes in his poem Pied Beauty. For many years, I’ve taught students about the “rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim,” but I’ve never actually seen them myself. (I never knew what “stipple” meant. It’s an artistic term for marking something with little dots.) We’re on […]
Breaking a Voice
When my daughter was just a toddler learning to speak, her older sister would constantly interrupt her. The little one would say, “Stop breaking my voice!” I’ve been thinking about my problem of interrupting these past few days. I have a terrible problem with interrupting people. Part of it is rooted in a good thing; […]
Your Spacious Place
Lately, my oldest has been around so many people in lots of small spaces. As an introvert, she’s feeling distressed, overwhelmed, and in great need of space. She wants to be alone in a spacious place. (I think of Psalm 18:19: He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted […]
I Stand Corrected: Emotional Well-Being Isn’t the Goal. Intimacy with Jesus is the Goal.
This summer, I’m speaking on emotional maturity and well-being in leaders. I’ve accumulated over ten years worth of research in therapeutic settings on how people can achieve well-being and happiness. But something doesn’t seem right as I talk about boundaries, creativity, toxic relationships, balance, and all the other tricks one learns to protect oneself from […]
Great Parenting Advice: Find the Strength in the Weakness
I’m sharing with another mother all the ways I’ve had to correct my daughters lately. She reminds me that every presenting weakness in character is a strength disguised and misdirected. If I can remember the strength behind the weakness, I can celebrate it and then reorient the weakness back toward the strength. I suddenly feel […]