It’s the Orange and Blue
Right around this time of year, I see such vibrant blues: the bluebirds, the sky, even recycling bins–they all pop differently. Then I realize it’s because of the orangey-brown everywhere: the acorns, leaf tips, and pumpkins. The contrast of blue and orange (opposites!) enhances so much around me this season. I don’t particularly enjoy blue […]
If Your Group Isn’t Gelling: Try These 4 Things
Right around this point in the semester, classes and various campus groups should gel. It should feel like a community, like a gathering of like-minded friends committed to the same goal. It should feel like a group complete with inside jokes. You walk in, and everyone knows your name. They might even know where you’ve […]
The Acorn Flour and Most Delicious Bread
I’m crunching enormous acorns underfoot on the walk to school, and it’s not even October yet. I remember the afternoon in October 2011 when we gathered acorns to make the most delicious Acorn Bread. I wish to do so again, so I reread my post and have reposted it here for you. And, of course, […]
What I Respect Most in Others
In her book, Writing to Change the World, Mary Pipher asks writers to consider various questions to help us understand ourselves better. One of her questions is this: What do you most respect in others? Immediately, I knew. It’s kindness. In other words, benevolence. In other words, the willingness to want, with every interaction, to […]
The Day I Lectured in a Math Class
Today I guest lectured in a Math class of all things. Are you chuckling with compassion? I comforted myself and eased my nerves by saying, “Whatever weakness I possess in math, I more than make up for in verbs.” I aimed to help math students write more clearly and effectively as they blog about various […]
Better and Better
On this beautifully chilled Sunday, we all enjoy Pennsylvania’s gentle transition to autumn. We bring in enormous acorns to paint already, and we’ve even turned over the closets into colder weather clothes. We swing the back door wide open to let in the crisp morning air. We brew coffee and bring home the pumpkin spiced […]
Strange, Relaxing Things
I love to practice typing. I know it’s strange. But it is so relaxing to take online typing tests. I sit there, typing, and let the worries of the world dissolve. I just realized that, if I ever stopped teaching or writing, I would make an amazing typist. I can type 105 words per minute! I’m trying […]
How It’s Going to Happen
This morning I find myself reading the story of when Naaman was healed of leprosy in 2 Kings 5. It’s been years since I’ve read this account of a commander who seeks healing from the Lord. Do you know it? If you remember, Naaman goes to the prophet Elisha, but Elisha merely sends a messenger […]
Telling A New Story About Yourself
I listen to a line by Jennifer Aaker, professor of Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in her Leadership and Management video called, “Harnessing the Power of Stories.” A few years ago, I wrote a post about this same line. The line? This: “First, which stories might you want to stop telling? They’re not useful to […]
Giving Not to Get
This morning, the Italian Mama and I talk about coming to the point in our lives when we work from a sense of giving–of love, really–and not from a need to gain importance or prove ourselves. Why does it take so long to get here? Why couldn’t I have felt this way in my 20’s […]