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 […]

Do You Want to Get Well?

Regardless of our personalities, faith, politics, demographics, race, or social standing, one thing we do have in common is that we all need healing. Over the course of our lives, every one of us will need physical or psychological healing at some point. Healing has been a constant theme in my own life beginning in […]

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 […]

Filling My Days With Beauty

In the classical school where I work during the day, school leaders often talk about teaching children how to discern what is true, good, and beautiful. They do this by thoughtfully choosing which books to read, field trips to go on, and big ideas to discuss.   In my own life, I have a tendency to […]

Filled with Feelings

The first signs of spring began a couple of weeks ago and I’ve decided to plant a garden again this year. I close my eyes and can smell the dirt of gardens past. I can feel the muscles of my shoulders shrieking at the memory of so many rows of weeds. Memories can feel like […]

The Words You Think

I looked toward the ocean, gray and foamy on this cooler-than-average Florida day. Despite my nervousness, I followed the lead of the others in the group and started wading out into the water. The coolness of the winter ocean shocked me as I entered it.  On my own, I probably would have given up or […]