A Change of Plans
Snow Storm Coming I had already run around in short sleeves. I had already let my daughter frolic outside in flip-flops with butterflies on them. I had already pulled out the spring clothes and encouraged my children to splash in puddles of warm melted snow. The weather report said a huge snow storm was coming, […]
Every Problem We Have Is Related to Our View of God
Today, I remember this quote that I read almost 15 years ago in a little book called, Disciples are Made not Born, by Walter Henrichsen and Howard Hendricks. The authors claim that “every problem we have is related to our view of God.” It was the kind of sentence a person underlines and then rewrites […]
Walking on Water
This morning, the lawns become ice skating rinks. The children are so light they can skate across the surface of the snow without falling through. When I walk, I sink. I’m just too heavy. All day, I think of those weightless little children and the joy they exude as they twirl and slide to school. […]
Keep Contact!
We skated to school today. It was the only way to make it down the hill. “Keep contact!” I cry out to the children. We discover that if you try to walk on ice, that’s when the falls happen. But if you keep contact–never lifting your shoes–you can glide smoothly along. Keep contact! I say […]
What We Most Want
Finally, at 6:00 AM, we agree to open presents. This is only after the 2:00 AM squeal alert that presents had arrived under the tree. My living room sparkles with shreds of wrapping paper, bows, and tissue paper. By now, the little girls play happily with their new dolls, and I drink coffee–lots and lots […]
A Clog in My Heart
Yesterday, I’m walking alone in the woods behind my house. Evening in the Pine Forest It’s not a very big forest, but it’s big enough to get lost in. I’m looking up through the pine trees, taking photos and moving forward with a grand plan: I want to see the sun set through the pines, […]
The Danger of Inviting God In
Last night, my youngest daughter and I read together from a book, and it occurs to me that she’s actually reading. She’s actually reading words. She’ll never be the same. Once you learn to read, you can’t undo it. You see a word, and you must read it. You can’t refuse. The effects of learning […]
It Really Works!
Green Tomatoes Leftover from Summer I was a doubter about the whole ripening-tomatoes-in-the-basement plan. Everybody said they would rot. Everybody said they wouldn’t taste the same. My daughter and I journey to the basement late yesterday and sit cross-legged before a box of tomatoes wrapped in newspaper. Just a few weeks ago, we gathered all […]
When “Plan A” Fails
Green Tomatoes Before the Frost We hear that a frost will come this week. It seems so tragic: dozens of beautiful tomatoes that never had a chance to ripen. But all is not lost. As novice gardeners, we take advice from a master gardener in our community. She tells us to harvest our green tomatoes, […]
He’s Making Stilts
At 7:30 AM, I’m drinking coffee at the breakfast table and attempting to grade papers. Our neighbor (the one who stops by occasionally and says, “I should probably stay for dinner”) comes in. He’s the type of 9-year-old who carries a little cage with him in case he finds critters. When we walk in the […]