Praising the One Who Passes the Ball: How Real Leaders Make Others Win
On the soccer field today, I’m amazed at my daughter’s passing skills. She’s been working so hard to pass the ball. The parents cheer from the sidelines not just for the one who makes the goal, but also for the one who passes to the shooter. I just love it! Last month, my husband […]
Let Me Make Myself Clear
Every year, our giant peony bush produces the most gorgeous bright pink blooms. And every year, I wonder why in the world the woman who planted this garden–the homeowner–put a peony bush against the back of the house where not a single soul can see these blooms. The bush sits next to the garbage cans, […]
You Shall Surely Wilt: The Dangers of Serving on Empty
I learn the hard way that I’m cutting lilac blooms all wrong. I look at my vase and frown. What happened to my lilacs? They wither within a few days when I bring them indoors. A lilac cutting, taken incorrectly, will last (at best) two days in a vase of water. But if you […]
What’s the Last Thing You Learned from a Child?
The children find a sassafras tree and show me how to tear the leaves to experience the extraordinary smell of root beer. I’m a city girl. I don’t even know what sassafras is. “You’re kidding,” I say, doubting that I’ll smell anything. “Here,” one girl shows me. “You look for a mitten shape, and then […]
Every Competing Source of Noise: A Life Lesson from a Videographer
I’m talking to a videographer this morning before an interview about my life and ministry, and I find myself fascinated by the audio set up for a film shoot. The lighting comes first, but then you spend a significant amount of time reducing ambient noise in a room. But I hear nothing. It seems perfectly […]
“God Fulfilled a Dream I Didn’t Know I Had”
This morning, we eagerly approach the Robin’s Nest to check on the eggs, and we find that the storm has cast the nest down to the ground. We stand there shocked and sad and angry as we surmise the broken eggshells, a ruined mess of twigs, and an empty tree. A mother says, “This happens.” […]
Even in the Not Yet
This morning, my youngest takes me to the garden to see the very first blush of red on the very first strawberry in the patch. Almost. Soon. In due time. I nearly turn away because it’s not ripe yet. But wait. I take a photo because I love this, right here, right now, at […]
I Can’t Function Without This
I travel overnight for a wedding, and before we pull out of the driveway, I must check to see if I’ve packed my thyroid medication. I can’t function without it. I go crazy without it. Every system shuts down without it. As I’m burying my head in my suitcase to find the medication, I suddenly […]
All This Before 9:00 AM
I glance out the window, and I see them for the first time: two purple and green hummingbirds shimmering at my Mother’s Day Hummingbird Feeder. I feel delight. I’m filled with wonder. They come so quickly–moving at the kind of speed one can hardly notice–and then they depart into some secret spot. Later, on the […]
The Best Thing in My Kitchen
I’m in the kitchen, and I find myself so thankful for this one little object. It’s my baking stone. 10 years ago, my great friend, Charity, suggested I purchase one from Pampered Chef. I did. I am so happy I did. It’s my favorite thing in the kitchen. When you use a baking stone, […]