In Praise of Helpful People
I’m sitting in my office, and I realize the difference it makes when you encounter a truly helpful person. Helpful people inspire me; it’s like
October 5, 2011
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Live With Flair
(my daily blog)
Be Careful What You Pray For
This afternoon, a group of children practice their instruments together in my home. One girl drags in an enormous baritone horn, another assembles her flute,
October 4, 2011
What to Tell Yourself When You’re Nervous
As soon as you launch out into anything public, you might suddenly become very nervous. When I speak, teach, blog, or lead, I’ve learned that
October 3, 2011
Arise, Go
This morning in church, I notice the verb God uses when he speaks to reluctant prophets. He says: arise. I can’t stop thinking about this
October 2, 2011
How to Feed a Friendship
This morning, a mother mentions that she’s teaching her child how to “feed a friendship” in order for it to grow. I think of that
October 1, 2011
When Everything Aligns
I’m driving to work, and I pull up beside a yellow school bus. The children inside wave and giggle. I motion back with an exaggerated
September 30, 2011
My Encounter with a Turkey Vulture
My minivan nearly runs over a turkey vulture today. A turkey vulture. On my street! I take a picture and watch this bold bird swoop
September 29, 2011
Confessions of a Type-A Mother
I have a serious problem. I love productivity. I really do. I don’t like to sit down during the day because I just love to
September 28, 2011
Can You Make This Unfamiliar?
I’m teaching my students how to de-familiarize themselves from their own writing in order to find errors. It’s a strange phenomenon of writing: when you
September 27, 2011
When You Must Improvise
When fruit flies start swarming in the kitchen, I know it’s time to make peach cobbler. So ripe they nearly burst in my hand, the
September 26, 2011