Telling Our Story of 9-11 Each Year
This year was no different: We told our daughters the story of that morning. We remember with sharp detail where we were, how we felt, and the passage of time. We were in Ann Arbor, Michigan, we begin. The phone rang. . . They listen. And they’ll listen again next year, too.
Let the Autumn Crafts Begin: #1 Painting Acorns
We gather all the old nail polish and our bowl of gathered acorns. We have the best afternoon just painting them! We even share the craft time with some friends. We’ll scatter beautiful little acorns on a side table or place them in a decorative bowl for our autumn decorations. We love sitting down amid the […]
In Step
This morning I’m driving on a little two-lane road that’s a 25 MPH zone. A police officer drives up right beside me. I immediately slow down from 30 MPH to the legal limit. We’re keeping pace exactly with each other. I know I can’t drive faster or slower than him; I don’t want a ticket! […]
Each Day’s Harvest
We gather the afternoon harvest. We don’t fret about tomorrow’s supply because we know how nature works. We trust the process. God reminds me that each day provides its own harvest of joy and whatever I need for this day. It’s often more than I need!
Sometimes It’s For You, For Right Now
I stand in front of the ripe raspberries with my bowl in hand. I fully intend to pick all the berries and deliver them to my children, or, better, to freeze them away for the winter. I love opening the freezer door to find those neat piles of bright red berries ready for pies and […]
Ready for Autumn
My youngest daughter, now in middle school, reminds me that we must paint acorns again! For the past six years, we’ve gathered acorns. We bring out all the old nail polish in the house, and we spend an afternoon painting acorns with beautiful patterns and bright colors to display in a bowl in the kitchen. I’ll post […]
Harvesting the Beet and Carrot
We planted them from seed and waited and waited and waited. Simple garden joys! We ate the carrot already! We’re giving the other carrots time to grow fatter. We’ll harvest them in a few weeks.
Even More Fruitful
I always forget the part in John 15 where Jesus prunes fruitful parts of the vine so they become more fruitful. I only remember the part where Jesus cuts off the parts of the vine that don’t bear fruit. That’s the kind of pruning I think about: chopping off all the dead, unproductive parts. But […]
You’ll Be Glad You Did
We planted the saplings the kindergarten teachers sent home a decade ago. I’m so glad I did.
The After School Snack Platter: Yes, They Still Want it
I absolutely love after school snack time with my daughters. For the past nine years, I’ve arranged life and work to arrive home a few minutes before my daughters so I can greet them with the Warm Welcome and the Snack Platter. Some of you have teased me about my obsession with the Snack Platter, […]