I want to tell you a love story. Simple, yet multi-layered–woven of many threads over twenty-four years–and true. *** We are standing at a playground alongside the creek carrying clear snow melt through the arteries of my small town. I watch my seven-year-old grandniece, Sarah*, struggle to puzzle out what I am telling her about […]
Faith
What Strong Women Do
None of the ladies in my family shrink back. Distinctly southern, full voices fill the room when we enter. We’re known for our loud laughs and warm embraces. We aren’t afraid to speak our minds and take the lead. We see a space and fill it. We see a need and fill it. I never […]
Because of You
Because of you, I yearn to be alive.Because of you, ‘till death (you) must realize.In my heart I know there is only you.And ask my heart, you’ll know that this is true. Ang hirap at pasakit, ng pusong umiibig (Tagalog): The pain and sorrows from love arise Each time I say goodbye to my […]
Will We Weep?
One clings to a flagpole. The other wades in a cistern’s mire. She, a black activist in South Carolina. He, a Jewish prophet from Jerusalem. Bree Newsome Bass climbs thirty feet from the ground. Jeremiah wallows almost as many below it. [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] They’re an unlikely duo: Fragmented by […]
The Mathematics of Life
“I just wanted you to know I hear you. I see you.” I received this voice message from a friend in response to a long, rambling complaint I sent the day before. “In walking with people through grief and loss, I’ve recognized how powerless I am to rescue anyone, said Aubrey Sampson. “And I’ve been […]
The Good Catastrophe
And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting […]
A Hope that’s Hidden in Grief
My father and I had stopped at his office so he could pick up a few things before his flight for his business trip. We were in no rush—his flight didn’t leave until after 1pm. We planned to get some breakfast in town before leaving for the airport. He stood looking at some papers while […]
The Tree Near the Side of the Road
I am learning about perspective in my oil painting class. Usually I rush into a painting, excited to get it started. But in this particular photograph of a tree near the side of road, my teacher encouraged me to keep proper perspective in the underpainting. To project accurate perspective, the elements must line up correctly […]
Into the Waves
As I near the end of this long stretch of glistening Southern California beach, my legs are getting heavy and tired. Plopping down on the warm sand, I dig my toes in and take in the scene before me. Between the breakers and shoreline, a group of brave, eager beginners maneuver a pod of primary-colored […]
A Beautiful Terror
Rain pounds down, relentless. I pack up my suitcase for another long weekend away, away from my current state of adjustment to a new life in a new state. Supposedly, storms bring newness, refreshment, and renewal. Everything still seems to be the same. I had thought by now I’d have more solid answers to this […]
Troubled Waters
Have you heard the one about Sisyphus and his rock? Me either . . . “Who?” I queried my kids, as it surfaced between Minecraft lore and stupid memes. “The boulder guy,” answered one. “You didn’t learn that in school, either, mom?” followed the other, baffled by my “1900’s” deficiency. So I compensated with indulged […]
Disturb Us, O Lord
Despite the gentle sound of the waves and the cool evening breeze descending over the lake, I couldn’t help but feel disturbed. The sunset over the Sea of Galilee should have soothed my soul, but my mind wouldn’t stop turning the story over and over. I sat there on the eastern shore recalling the day […]
Soul Sifting
My heart sank into my stomach as I stared at the familiar face on my computer screen. Her eyebrows lifted, likely wondering if my feed had frozen again. But my internet connection was working fine. I forced myself to take a deep breath as the word my therapist, Callie, had just spoken echoed in the […]
Slow Healing
My drive home from church on a sunny Mother’s Day afternoon changed my life forever. Almost two years have passed since the collision with a high-speed driver caused severe, potentially life- threatening injuries. After three weeks in the hospital I was released—just a day before my son’s high school graduation. While I was thrilled to […]
Healing God, Healing Earth
I sat in the stark white doctor’s office shivering in my flimsy paper gown. I was perched on the end of the examination table, legs and arms bare. The doctor sat below on a chair, clipboard in hand as she asked me questions. “Are you under a lot of stress?” She asked, glancing up, glasses […]
Spilling Over
All beneath the moon will wane. Everything on these shores ebbs and flows like the sea. Everything beneath the sun will be eclipsed. You will not find in time that which is only to be discovered in eternity. – Charles Spurgeon It happens only a few times a year. Everything is perfectly aligned. Sun, […]
Nightwatch
I follow crumbs at Dusk along the damp Earth. Will tomorrow’s Materialize? I wish I had your Wings, could soar free and See the water, the Moon reflected whole. Instead it’s like a Maze of green hedges, Young Alice meets the Minotaur. The night’s Labyrinth fills me With echoes and Trembling, but […]
Something Big and Real Inside
I set up my kids’ nursery with Winnie the Pooh décor. It wasn’t much, really—just a comforter and crib bumper. I used the same set in the crib and linens with all of my children. In later years, I read the stories of Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin aloud to my kids. [perfectpullquote align=”full” […]