A Little Dog on Our Lawn: Expecting the Extraordinary in Common Places
My husband enters the house with great alarm. Something isn’t right: Our elderly neighbor’s dog has suddenly appeared on our lawn, off leash, from way down the street and around the corner. We’ve never seen the man without the dog or the dog without the man. My daughter immediately says that something sad must have […]
A Little Danish Christmas Gnome
My Danish neighbors continue to bless me with lessons in hygge–the ultimate kind of coziness. I love these neighbors! This time two years ago, the Danish Grandmother taught me that there’s no bad weather, only bad clothing. Yesterday, my friends deliver me the most wonderful, precious little gift: A Christmas Gnome. The Danes love gnomes, […]
“Stand over here. Present yourself.” Annie Leibovitz
I listen to photographer Annie Leibovitz describe how she engages with the person she’s photographing. Instead of posing the subject, she merely says, “Stand over here. Present yourself.” Is there a more honest approach? Is that not what we wish to always do? We stand and present ourselves. Who might we present in that moment? […]
Finding a Secret Winter Skating Pond
My friend and I walk in the woods and then along a trail by farmland. As we journey onward, we see something sparkling and nearly hidden by trees and brush. We approach to find an almost frozen pond. We’ve lived in this town nearly a decade and have never seen this pond. How can it […]
A Big Silence
Today my friend and I walked along the reservoir at Bald Eagle State Park, just a 30 minute drive from our neighborhood. She noted the silence. She asked me to listen to the silence. “Hear! Stop! Listen to it!” We absorbed the particular silence of a body of water in winter. I heard nothing. We […]
An Eight Year Reminder
On this night in 2010, we invited a stranger into our house. We almost didn’t, but we did. On this night, in 2011, we learned about thundersnow. On this night in 2012, I was posting final grades and discussing the concept of the best worst grade. On this night in 2013, I learned about my smartest but ugliest tree. On […]
Parenting Teens: Vigilant Waiting
Today my dear friend–one of the Italian Mamas–calls to remind me of my primary task as a parent of teens. She calls it “vigilant waiting.” She instructs me about the fine of art of waiting with careful attention to dangers or difficulties in the life of a teen and remaining fully available when the time […]
Around the World Menu
Although my older daughters have grown beyond the days of dinner menus designed to entertain and educate, I still see them as those little girls. This week, I announce the Around the World weekly menu. They don’t seem interested, but by Indian Shrimp Curry night, they love it. They can’t wait for Swedish Meatball night, […]
Intended for Good
This morning I read a quote from historian Charles Beard who said this stunning little statement: The bee fertilizes the flower it robs. Perhaps others consider a better meaning, but I think about the bee stealing from the flower who, in that very action, fosters eventual growth and well-being in that gentle flower. I think […]
Evergreens Holding Up the Snow
I love walking past the evergreen trees in my neighborhood and in the woods behind my house. The branches extend like wide open arms to receive whatever heaven sends down. I walk in the snow, under a darkening sky, and tell God I’ll receive what He sends.