All the Good I See
I’m back on campus to teach two writing classes, and I pass by professors helping freshman find campus buildings. We’re all in this together. I will help you! In the classroom, I observe a group of students applauding a soldier returning to college after tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. I return the kind handshakes of […]
A Slow and Careful Life
You need protection when you harvest raspberries. Those little bitty thorns can pierce your tender fingertips and scratch your legs to pieces. It’s a slow and careful process. The younger, more impulsive me would have thrown myself into the patch, mouth open and greedy fingers spread wide. You can’t see the thorns at first. And […]
Blessed Are All Who Take Refuge in Him
This morning, I think about refuge. Psalm 2 promises that “blessed are all those who take refuge in God.” Sometimes the psalmist refers to this refuge as a “rock, but sometimes this refuge is a place that’s “underneath the feathers” of God. Some days I need a rock. Some days I need soft feathers. Either […]
Sometimes You Just Need To
Sometimes you just have to take your shoes off and get in a creek. I mean it; something happens to you when you’re in a creek. Nobody says, “I’m bored,” or “Can we do something?” Nobody fights or worries or complains. Maybe it’s because the water teaches us something about how to live a good […]
Too Much Too Soon
I harvest the beautiful cherry tomatoes today. I’m disappointed by how many have split open. All but a few are ruined. I learn that split tomatoes are breeding grounds for bacteria and generally aren’t good for eating. Why do they split and crack like this? Most gardeners agree it’s because of irregular watering that causes […]
Their Favorite One: When You Feel Lonely
We finish our summer devotions this morning, and I ask the girls which one was their favorite. Which one meant the most to them? My oldest says that it’s definitely Number 12, the one about feeling lonely. I realize that she’s not alone in the lonely. I’ve talked to so many women–young and old–who feel […]
A Reward for Stillness
Before dinner, just as the water comes to a boil for our pasta, I head to the backyard and sit down. I prop my arms on my folded knees, zoom in my camera, and I wait: still and quiet. If you know me, you know that still and quiet don’t go well with my style. […]
Praying for a Happy Heart
A few days ago, I pray that God gives my daughters a happy heart. It is a simple, honest prayer. I wake up, and I laugh at that little baby hummingbird at the feeder. I replaced the nectar with fresh sugar water (I even added in more sugar just for her), and I watch how […]
Until I Saw a Bear
Sometimes, I dream that a little cabin in the woods–far, far away from civilization–will somehow help me live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. I’d enjoy simple pleasures: wildflowers and stretches of meadow interrupted only by a lazy cloud or two. I would rest easy and enjoy all that peace. It’s wonderful–until […]
I Go Out. I Come Back.
For the last month, I’ve adopted a new walking program around my neighborhood. It’s a 3 mile loop. In 3 miles, I can process the day. In 3 miles, I can write a new chapter in my head. In 3 miles, I can connect with several neighbors on the way. In 3 miles, I can […]