Rejoicing in the Cold, Driving Rain
After nearly 8 years of daily blogging (I cannot believe it, and for those counting, nearly 2,900 blog posts), I still practice the original mission of living with flair. I really do. I set this same heart to look for the beautiful thing especially in the ordinary or even difficult thing. Like just now: All […]
Lifting Up the Room
My friend says that when she enters a room, she wants to “lift up the room” not “suck out the air” from negativity, complaint, or neediness. I love the image of walking into a space and thinking how to “lift it” with joyful interactions, intentional speech to bless and encourage others, a cheerful heart, and […]
Warm Relationships Matter Most for Happiness
Today I share with my students the results of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, the longest research study on happiness and health ever conducted. For nearly 80 years, researchers followed the lives of 268 Harvard sophomores–and then their children (who now make the number of research participants 1,300)– to answer the question, “What makes a […]
Being Someone’s Success-Maker
I read a post on this day from two years ago, and it still brings tears to my eyes when I think about this teacher: Something to Say to Any Child My youngest daughter yammers away as I’m dropping off her older sister to youth group last night. I’m hearing all about math projects, music […]
Satisfied Each New Morning
I love Psalm 90:14 and this beautiful prayer: “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” Moses wrote this psalm that stands as the oldest psalm in the Bible. I love that Moses didn’t ask for a morning filled with food, safety, […]
A Strange Taco Combination for Your Menu
I see a photo in a travel magazine of someone eating a soft corn tortilla stuffed with roasted butternut squash, black beans, shrimp, avocado, cilantro, and mango salsa. It seems odd to me but also marvelous. I move on into my day, but I cannot stop thinking about this dish. Eventually, I try this without […]
Your First Job
My daughter starts her first job this afternoon at the grocery story down the street. I’ll drive her down, drop her off, and beam with pride that this day has come. I remember my first job and the feeling that I was becoming larger than I was somehow; I rose up to what the boss […]
A Familiar Viewing of Evil
After the horrific news of the school shooting in Florida yesterday, I remember the paralyzing disbelief of Columbine. I remember asking, “How can this be?” over and over again as I stared at the television. I remember the shock. I remember not being able to continue on in the day. The world was different now. […]
Someday Soon: Encouragement for Parents of the Young
It’s late afternoon, and I’m crying in a bubble bath. I arrived home from work and a doctor’s appointment with my oldest daughter, Sarah, to discover that my youngest daughter, Kate–not even 13 years old–made our dinner (her speciality: veggie enchiladas and Spanish rice). I stood in the kitchen as Sarah went to play piano […]
My Favorite Small Group Name Game
When I place students into their peer writing workshop groups of three, I always give them five minutes to answer a surprisingly difficult question. I tell them that this single question tests their ability to build rapport quickly, to find a deeper connection with one another, and to quickly sift through meaningful life events. I […]