“She scaffolds their lives.”
I hear a new friend use a new verb: scaffolds. She’s describing how a particular mentor works in her life, and she says, “I just love her. She scaffolds women’s lives.” She scaffolds them! Do you know what scaffolding is? Can you picture it around a building? I’ve observed the scaffolding from the buildings I’ve […]
A Day of Preparation
I think of Sunday as a time to prepare the heart spiritually for what’s ahead by nourishing the soul with God’s word, prayer, learning in church, and worship. Refreshed, I think about preparing physically for what’s needed: planning meals, cleaning and deciding on clothing, arranging transportation for children, and discussing who needs what in this […]
After a Speaking Event
For the first time in years, I felt complete peace at a speaking event. I’ve spent so long asking God to teach me how to do this–to deliver me from self-consciousness, pride, self-exultation, and fear. I’ve also been learning from the best people I can find about sharing my life on a stage in ways […]
Learning From Those 10 Steps Ahead
Today I remember to actively seek out wisdom from those ahead of me–not only in parenting, but also in my professional life. Whenever I’m in the presence of people in their fifties or older, I always ask, “What do you wish you knew in your forties?” (I find they don’t mind. I find it blesses […]
You Let the Project Go
Today I learned something so vital about creativity: you constantly create and then let the project go into the world. Letting the project go means you stop trying to recreate, evaluate, or worry over it. You fully immerse yourself into a book or another kind of creative work, and then at some point, you end […]
Never Too Old for a Snow Day
It’s a joyous, whimsical day around here. It’s a bonafide snow day! It’s not simply a normal 2- hour delay for the start of school, but a real, genuine, legitimate all-day snow day. Even the university shuts down in response to the fluffy half-foot of snow now frosted with falling ice. We stay in pajamas […]
What You See in Them
This morning, a fellow faculty member shares the most encouraging words to me. I sat slumped in my office chair as I considered the long day ahead. It’s one of those days when I wonder if I’m in the right place, doing what I’m supposed to be doing, and feeling completely foolish. She says, Do […]
The White of Snow
This morning, my daughter asks me why snow is white. What is it reflecting? She explains that seawater isn’t actually blue; it just reflects the sky. You’ll know this when you capture it in your hands or in a bottle. I find a website, “Ask a Science Teacher” for us to learn. I read this: […]
Branches Hold
I sometimes hold leaves and flowers, newborn things, and marvelous creations, fully grown. I’m strong enough for others to build nested dreams upon my frame. I support a universe; I shade everyone near me. I lose all foliage, and then I sometimes carry only frozen drops of paralysis and blocked flow. I sometimes weep water […]
Going Beyond the Request
I’ve been thinking about Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5 where I vaguely remember how, if someone wants a tunic from you, you give him your cloak as well, or how, if someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. It’s a teaching on doing even more than what’s expected or demanded. […]