To Handle the Cold
We finally invested in a nice electric blanket. Last night, we turned on the blanket 15 minutes before bedtime. Heaven! Warmth! It was the coziest, most wonderful feeling to go to bed without freezing cold sheets. I think we’ll save money on our heating bill, and I also believe we’ll enjoy a better bedtime routine. […]
A Nostalgic Little Gift
Yesterday, I thought about books from my childhood. When I arrived to the English Department at Penn State today, a professor who studies folklore surprised me with a late Christmas present: I couldn’t believe it! I told her that I loved this book as a child, and she found a copy for me. What a […]
A Winter Soup I Adore–Button Soup or “Knoephla”
I recently learned about Button Soup–a traditional German soup you might find in North and South Dakota and Minnesota. It’s also called Knoephla Soup (pronounced neh-fla). It’s the perfect winter soup. My husband and I both went back for a second bowl, and I heated up the leftovers for lunch today. You will love it! […]
If You Ask
I’m noticing all the asking in the book of Matthew. It’s not the verb that stumps me, though. It’s the word “faith.” In particular, it’s this verse from Matthew 21: “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” I’ve been thinking about what it means to have this prayer-answering faith and […]
Staying In
I thought I would venture out in the beautiful snow, but it’s a mere 18 degrees. I know for some of my more northern friends, this might feel warm. But for me, at least today, I stay bundled under quilts in the warmth of my upstairs office. It’s an evening to watch the snow, not […]
In Winter
I talk to my friend about what it means to become like a child in winter. Here in Pennsylvania, we’re expecting a big storm tomorrow–maybe up to 10 inches of snow! I felt a little dread. I longed for the beach. I shivered in my thermal coat. But then, just when I felt the dreariness […]
Like Children
This morning I read in Mathew 18 when Jesus says: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” And what is a like child like? In my journal, I write down some key characteristics of a child: utterly dependent, trusting, joyful, resilient.
Peter and His Fish
In my study of Matthew, I find myself drawn again to the passage in Matthew 17 where it’s time to pay temple taxes. Jesus engages Peter with a line of questioning essentially telling Peter that children of God don’t necessarily have to pay the temple tax, but they should. And then the most curious thing […]
Small Little Investment
Today I decided to eat a big salad with just about every vegetable we had in the refrigerator. It was an investment in myself. Maybe I’ll try to eat a salad every day. With the holidays finally over, I’m still attempting to remember a life without sugar, without all the goodies, and without all the […]
Freely Receive; Freely Give
Something fun happened yesterday. Two enormous cases of KN95 masks arrived on my doorstep. For teaching at Penn State and travel, I order two small boxes of these masks, but amazon sent cases. Cases not boxes. Simple mistake right? I wanted 50 masks and now I had 1500. But amazon still only charged me for […]