A Pen of One’s Own
My youngest asks if she can have a pen of her very own. We’re standing in the check-out line of the grocery store, and we notice a pack of ball-point pens. “What would you do with a pen of your own?” I ask. “I would have so much fun!” she says. “I would write my […]
The Book You Would Write in 2012
I decide to skim my journals from 1993 till now. Then I reread some blog posts from 2010 till now. This takes all morning, three cups of coffee, and patience reading all the recorded tantrums between me and God. I realize that these journals tell a story with a theme and a purpose. By […]
When an Enormous Rabbit Finds You
I’m walking through campus to my office with my head looking down into the concrete. I’m deep in thought about something I can’t recall. I just remember that I wasn’t really seeing the sidewalk, and I couldn’t even remember how I got to campus. Those autopilot mornings–the ones where it’s all routine and no beauty […]
Fighting Before Church is Even Better
The whole family just erupts this morning. We can’t control ourselves! We’re all fighting, and one child cries enormous tears while another screams, “You just make me so mad!” I could have pretended that everyone was OK this morning. I wanted to! I really did. I could have wiped my daughter’s face and plastered a […]
How We Captured Essential Oils From Nature (A Great Experiment for Kids!)
My daughter wants to make real perfume from nature for her science project this year. I’m learning that she wants to discover the essence of things. She researches ways to get the fragrance out of the flowers and into little vials for students to guess the essence she’s extracted. She wants rose, grass, orange, cocoa, […]
What Band Would We Listen To Together?
Students arrive to class with earphones deep in their ears. “What are you listening to?” I ask one. “What?” he calls back. I point to my ears and exaggerate the words with my mouth. “WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?” I shout. He nods back at me, takes the earphones out of his ears, and says, […]
A Million Ways to Prosper
I’m reading Psalm 1 (where it says whatever we do will prosper), and I notice all the things I wanted God to “prosper” in my life. I’ve scribbled down everything from boyfriends to book contracts in that narrow margin. This particular Bible was given to me by my great friend, Elizabeth, back in 1995. I […]
Don’t Bother Being Fake
Yesterday, the neighborhood children run in and out of my house, delighting in the unseasonably warm weather. Some are barefoot and trying to skate on the melting ice, and others are running frenzied circles around the tree. One of my daughters has mud splashed up her legs. One child has found the cat brush and […]
I Went to Meet a Tree
I learn from the Italian Mama about an oak tree in our neighborhood that’s over 200 years old. It’s a ten minute stroll from my house, and I’ve never seen it. This is why every neighborhood needs an Italian Mama who knows the secrets. She’s the one who told me where to find the hidden […]
If We Had a Mile
On the walk to school, a normally shy and withdrawn little girl comes to my side. “Guess what?” she asks, her eyes huge. She watches me with her mittens folded together and her boots kicking the ice. “What? Tell me everything,” I respond (because I have a whole mile to listen and nothing to do […]