Gaining a heart of wisdom
What do you know for sure that's absolutely true?"How many items would be on your list? Most things in this world–institutions, organizations–the closer you examine them, the more they start to fall apart. If you look too carefully, you’ll see the holes. Sadly, the same is true of most people, not necessarily because they are… Continue reading What Do You Know For Sure That’s Absolutely True?
I lived south of the Mason-Dixon just long enough to be introduced to the word Hey as a greeting—not long enough, however, to become accustomed to it. Here in New England, “Hey!” is the word we use to get someone’s attention, as in, “Hey! You can’t pahk heah!” A simple southern greeting would stop me… Continue reading The Gift of Grace Wrapped Up in a Simple Greeting
Whenever I travel, and often even when I simply open my email, I encounter the stories of people who are carrying heartache, managing loads unimaginable to me. I'm not a trained counselor, and my gifts don't even lie in that direction, so I'm usually at a loss for words. And really, words are not the… Continue reading Bring Your Broken Heart to the One Who Named the Stars
If you're looking for me in the summertime, you're likely to find me standing under a floppy sunhat, weeding, picking, or just wandering around in the garden. The work of the garden is not measured by time but by task. There is no standard of perfection (at least not in my garden!). The job is… Continue reading What’s Your Favorite Place in All the World?
My son called with a question, and (for a change) the call was actually for me. (I don't do home renovation or car repair questions.) He had been raking blueberries and had settled down to pick them over, removing the unripe berries, leaves, and stems. It's slow and painstaking work. "How clean do you get… Continue reading Think About What You Want to See on Your Plate
Robert Frost tells the story1 of a young girl, tiny and fierce, who followed her brother into the woods to pick wild grapes. Pulling down the tops of flexible white birch trees, he with his boyish heft was able to pick fruit from vines at the very top of the forest. The trouble started when… Continue reading Hope for a Parent’s Heart as Kids Leave the Nest
The sun shone warm on my back, and my youngest granddaughter's eyes were nearly closed as I gently pushed the swing. Playground mayhem surrounded us, but we were wrapped in the quiet of a sunny summer afternoon. The grandmotherly privilege of one-on-one time with a toddler requires an intense commitment to being present in the… Continue reading Walking and Waiting in the Way of Wisdom
I spent my late teens and early twenties agonizing over the mystery of my true calling. Looking back, I now see that I was laboring under the mistaken notion that there was a very specific dot I should be standing on, some combination of my abilities and God's will that would put me at the… Continue reading How to Know If You’ve Found Your True Calling
A pair of seven-pound weights is part of my everyday exercise routine. I realize that's not a very impressive-sounding load, but I definitely notice the difference between them and my very cute pink five-pounders. I also notice (with some alarm) the difference between my weights and the growing heft of the two granddaughters who most… Continue reading A Look at My Not Very Impressive Training Regimen
For a minute, I was puzzled. The bright blue Post-It Note in my planner had a phone number in my own spidery handwriting, along with the words "FIRST CALL" in bold capital letters. Realization landed first in the pit of my stomach. These were hospice contacts for our friend Jeanette, who passed away in our… Continue reading Let the Puzzling Path of Sorrow Lead You to Hope
Living Our Days 