You Don’t Need it Now
I wish I could be more like my friends who know how to really shop well. They buy clothes for next year at the end of each season; they glean name-brand ski jackets and gear for ridiculously low prices because it’s the end of the season. My friend advises me to go to the sporting […]
To Want This More
Today I remember that King Solomon, when told by God in a dream that he could ask for whatever he wanted, asked not for wealth or longevity, but for wisdom. Wisdom! (And it wasn’t even wisdom for his own enjoyment. It was to govern others well.) I imagine that God approaches and says, as recorded […]
The Words that Changed You
I ask students to write about the book, poem, movie, or song that changed them. Then, they choose one word that defines what major theme in the humanities that this work of art addresses. As we make a list on the board, I realize that the enduring themes of feeling interconnected to people, friendship, forgiveness, […]
Set a Goal and Track Progress
I love goals and deadlines. People who know me well know that if you give me a deadline, I get really excited about it. I don’t know why, but I do. I found a fun website to help me with writing deadlines. It’s called WordKeeper, and when you sign up, you input your manuscript deadline […]
Snow and Sun
It’s so bright–because of all this snow–that I’m drawn outside to bask in it. With snow up to the knees, and school canceled for the second day in a row, one would think this situation might prevent an appreciation of beauty. One would think. The snow reflects the sun in ways that shame the hottest […]
The Stories You Tell Again and Again
Today I teach the Advanced Writing students about writing their “Signature Stories” for their professional development. It’s such a fun and meaningful assignment. We look at the key stories that have shaped our ideas about work and adulthood. They choose one life story, and they craft the tale in five pages of vivid verbs, varied […]
“We know how to spend time together.”
Today a younger couple came to our home after church and brought lunch for everybody. After trying unsuccessfully to set up a date night or mid-week lunches, the couple joked that they knew an irresistible way to spend time together. “We’ll show up, and you don’t have to do anything,” they had said. “And you […]
For the Past Three Days
For the past three afternoons, I’ve walked in this setting, across this landscape. I’ve seen the tracks of rabbits. I’ve seen three hawks circling in the sky, their cries piercing the silence until they perch quietly on the snow-burdened tops of the trees. As my children sled on the great hill, I part the curtain […]
2 Great Truths that Discouragement Teaches
This morning my husband and I discuss diacouragement in our work lives. It comes! It happens! What I’ve learned in the last ten years is to see diacouragement as a signpost on the journey. It shows me two truths: Diacouragement reminds me of what I really want and need. If I’m not discouraged about an […]
A Big Truth in a Little Something
Notice anything about my succulent (crassula ovata “Jade”) plant? This is the plant I’ve neglected and damaged with all my moving it about. But look! It has propagated! As I observe the sweet little new plant, I grow curiouser and curiouser. I learn, according to Tabitha Sukhai that “these plants thrive on neglect.” And I […]