For 536 Days
We’re driving down a two-lane road in West Virginia. We’re tired. We’re grumpy. We’re ready to be home. Then a slow-poke truck pulls in front of us, slowing us down to what feels like a crawl. Why? Why this truck? Why now? We notice–because we’re all driving so slowly–the North Dakota license plate. North Dakota! […]
Motherhood Changes
When I became a mother, I’ve never forgotten what the nurse said at the first appointment with that newborn baby crying beside me. “Everything has changed. You won’t ever be the same person again.” It was a terrible thing to say. To depressed and anxious me, it felt like confirmation that with motherhood, everything within […]
From Whatever Comes
I’m reading Interior Freedom again by Jacques Philippe, and I’m so encouraged by this little quote:“Faith, hope, and charity. . . if they are rooted in us deeply enough, they are able to draw strength from whatever opposes them!”It brings such comfort to see every circumstance in this way. Living with flair means we extract […]
Always Watching the Light
It’s the way the light illuminates the tips of this bloom– It’s always the light I’m watching; that’s what my photographer friends have taught me all along. You always watch the light.
In Search of the Lady Slipper Orchids
My neighbor and I leave for the woods in search of the famed Lady Slipper Orchids. I remember the day–this same month in 2011–when I learned about interdependence in community from those legally protected orchids. Back then, I knew this: Sunday, May 15, 2011 Why You Belong Right Here I’m walking with my neighbor in […]
Another Question to Ask God
This morning I read a quote by A.W. Tozer. He writes: “The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven’t yet come to the end of themselves. We’re still trying to give orders, and interfering with God’s work within us. ” I realize the truth of […]
To Be Happy That You’re You
Today my youngest turns 10 years old. I’m so happy that she’s her. My prayer for her is that she, too, will be happy that’s she is herself. I want her to live a life free from comparison. I want her to rejoice in everything unique about her. I want her soul to be anchored so […]
Not to Us
I’m reading Psalm 115 and the repetitive cry of the psalmist: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” It’s a great prayer and reminder. When something wonderful happens in our lives or when fruitfulness comes, we cry out, “It […]
All the Yearnings
I am reading again Sheldon Vanauken’s book, A Severe Mercy, a love story indeed. As the author discusses what it was like to consider faith in Jesus, he writes: “I had impulses to fall on my knees and reach out to him. I suspected that all the yearnings for I knew not what that I […]
My Work Here is Finished: The Cupcakes in Review
Kindergarten brought with it the Green Apple Cupcakes for the birthday class treat: First grade? She wanted Stiletto High Heel Cupcakes. Second grade? Of course: The Hamburger Cupcakes Third grade? Ice Cream Cones. Fourth grade? Well, she turns 10 on Tuesday, so I blocked off the morning for the new cupcake idea for the class […]