Life Changing Advice for the Exhausted and Irritable: Stay at 60%
This morning, my friend tells me her secret for sanity in the midst of pursuing a Ph.D., raising young children, maintaining a great marriage, and hosting neighborhood events. “I live at 60%.” “What do you mean?” I turn to her, curious and confused. “Some women live their lives at 90% capacity. They are already nearly […]
Secrets of the Robin’s Nest
She leaves her nest again at 4:00 PM today. I use my phone to peer inside. I’m hoping to find another egg. Robin Eggs I do. _____________________In just a few days, we’ll have baby robins!
New and Improved Hamburger Cupcakes (We’ve Improved Our Technique)
I’m thankful for edible paper made of sugar. We’re really improving our technique with the hamburger cupcakes. This means I can cut out lettuce and cheese for my hamburger cupcakes without having to color and roll out fondant. If you remember, first, we had plain old hamburgers. Then we used fondant to make cheeseburgers. (click links for […]
The Most Beautiful Color in Nature
I sneak under the Weeping Cherry. I part branches like great curtains and tuck myself inside. It’s quiet and earthy in there. It’s cool and still. I weave my arm up and then arch my hand over the Robin’s Nest to spy inside with my phone’s camera. It’s a blind activity; I’m trusting the camera […]
“We Are the Somebody Else!”
My husband calls to report a flair moment from the hardware store. A older employee stands in an aisle cleaning up something with a younger employee by his side. As they work to complete the task, the younger man says, “Well, let’s just leave the rest for somebody else.” The older man looks at the […]
Not If But When: The Fine Art of Expectancy
Years ago, folks would ask me if I was going to write a blog that day. Now, they ask not if but when. When will the moment arrive? What will the flair be? Not if but when. There’s really no question now. It’s going to happen. No more if. No more doubting. We move from […]
God “Richly Provides All Things for Our Enjoyment”
Years ago, I took very seriously Paul’s promise to Timothy that God “richly provides all things for our enjoyment.” The first part of that promise to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:17 is about not putting hope in wealth that is so uncertain. God, not money, brings the pleasure and joy. At the time, I was […]
You Might Not Feel It Till Later
Last night, we say good-bye to some graduating doctoral and masters students. We’ve known them a long time–long enough to see some get engaged, find a different career path, and generally do very brave and impossible things. It’s emotional. It’s like a string in my heart’s been cut and they fly loose from me like […]
If Stung
As I walk around this spring, I’m acutely aware that alongside all the beauty of spring lurks danger. Bees! I have to carry my epi-pen everywhere. I’m deathly allergic to bees. It’s amazing to consider that all that power to kill me exists in a tiny little insect body. I stand so huge against them, […]
At Least One Reason Why
Unmodified, not enhanced, unsharpened, and taken from a phone’s camera, the blooms tell the lens to focus here and blur the background. Focus here. Let everything else blur in the background. This makes for great photography and living. A very real narrative exists behind the scenes, but there’s another story being told that’s brighter, better, […]