Creating a Flexible Life
I suppose I’ve learned flexibility most of all theses last few months, and I approach the next few months the same way. I’m learning that life can change at any moment. I’m learning that your plans won’t always work out, even the ones you spent so long forming. Flexible living invites an expectation that unknown, […]
The Daily Morning Patrol
Each new morning, I patrol the garden. I’m checking for predators, weeds, pests, and anything that might harm the growing fruit. I know the plants well. I see new leaves and new blossoms. It’s a careful and loving consideration. As I continue to study John 15 and Father’s role as the Gardener, I think of […]
All the Pruning
In my garden, I’ve been pruning to create more fruitfulness. It’s counterintuitive that by diminishing your plants, you gain more. Basil works like this. The more I take, the more it grows. Of course, I have to pick the basil in the right spots to encourage more growth. I also notice that when I pruned […]
Conversation in Nature
My oldest daughter and I love to hike in the woods or by any kind of body of water. Today, we come across a little pond in the woods. We hear the strangest sounds–like a low musical note–over and over again. What could it be? We realize as we gaze across the pond that it’s […]
Welcoming Others
I like how Paul describes the welcome he received from the Galatians, even as he endured an illness. This sickness surely burdened his hosts, yet Paul said, “Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel […]
When Things Feel Out of Control, Remember the Banner
This morning I read Psalm 60, written by David during a chaotic and fearful time of war and invasion. David gives us a picture of a land in fractures, of desperation, and of staggering. But he writes this about the Lord: “But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner. . .” The […]
A Quiet and Confident Heart
When I feel troubled, nervous, or confused about a path forward, I remember David hiding in the cave when Saul tried to murder him. Can you imagine? Think of the fear. Think of the desperation in David’s heart. Think of the discomfort and the sorrow. From his cave, he writes this in Psalm 57: Have […]
Some New Foods to Try
As I try to eat more of a plant-based diet (so good to ease inflammation, arthritis, and migraines!), I suspiciously try a new no tuna “tuna fish” recipe that ends up tasting delicious! Instead of tuna, you use a can of chickpeas. It tasted great with lettuce and tomato on a hearty piece of bread. […]
Favorite Sounds: A Dinner Conversation Question
Several years ago, we talked at dinner about our favorite sounds. Think about it: the sound of a knife spreading butter on toast or the definitive click of the seat belt. What about wind in the trees on a quiet evening or the crunch of fall leaves underfoot? Of course you might mention the flowing […]
First Day of Summer
I’m such a goal-oriented person, but my teens do not appreciate my goal-setting for them every summer. When they were little, I could set elaborate schedules and record our accomplishments, but now, it doesn’t work the same way. I still, however, make broad categories of what this summer might entail for us all. We talk […]