Gaining a heart of wisdom
Now that I have pulled all the carrots with my grandson and hunted down the last of the red tomatoes, the gardening season is behind me. My sunflowers stand hanging their heads in resignation, but they're still beautiful to me because I'm already thinking ahead to next year's planting: strategizing (No more eggplant! I give… Continue reading Pulled Away By Expectation: Jayber Crow Discussion Group (10)
The Fiercehearted come in all shapes and sizes on this day, and their beautiful faces circle the table from all ages and stages of life. A gray-haired woman sips orange soda facing a 96 year-old faith warrior who prays fiery gospel truth over our meal. Our hostess chows down at one end of the table,… Continue reading Embrace Fiercehearted Living
My grandson likes nothing better than a good project, so on our days together, he and I are a force to be reckoned with. He has saved me many a bend in the tomato patch, and when he pulled orange carrots out of the ground with quivering joy, each fistful was a miracle to behold.… Continue reading The Necessary Work of the World: Jayber Crow Discussion Group (9)
I can just barely admit this, but I have finally hauled all the cassette tapes -- John Michael Talbot, Carole King, Billy Joel -- out from under my bed. And I’m going to throw them away. Letting go of this one thing may not free my hands to grab hold of an entire universe, but… Continue reading Faith Going Forward: A Mid-Life Following
The sturdy wooden stakes that supported my tomato plants through their season of growing have been pulled and re-purposed. Now that the garden lies exhausted and well past fruition, those beat up stakes have been pressed into service holding burlap to protect our rhododendron bushes from the weight of snow and the whip of howling… Continue reading Musings — October 2017
The most recent natural disaster spreads itself across your news feed while coverage has preempted the day's programming on NPR. A grizzled, rheumy-eyed man reeking of alcohol sticks out his hand and cobbles together a story of need. A blog post about the refugee crisis sets you to wondering if there's anything practical your family,… Continue reading Let It Trouble Your Heart: Jayber Crow Discussion Group (8)
When I learned in fifth grade that Helen Keller had graduated from college summa cum laude, I made it my goal to do the same. As it happened, those little Latin words that mean "with the highest distinction" did actually end up being embossed on the white parchment of my degree, thereby setting me on a course… Continue reading The Beautiful Hidden Life
Modern medicine has made optimists out of us all. Cancer? Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy frequently combine to leave the patient cancer-free or living well with the disease as a chronic illness. Heart attack? Clot-busters, by-pass surgery, rehabilitation, and the patient returns to a normal life. Dementia? Well, that's a different story. Pharmaceutical options are disappointing,… Continue reading Dementia, Dignity, and Honoring God
I listened to hard words today from a dear woman I've loved and admired for nearly twenty years. We were seated in her small room in a nursing home, my grandson was exploring every nook, cranny, and light switch (and eating one of the cookies we had brought for her!), and I asked her how… Continue reading When the Time Comes to Look Back — Jayber Crow Discussion Group (7)
If my dining room table could talk, it might begin with a story about cinnamon rolls whose aroma can pull family out of bed like a giant magnet. Smiling and sleepy, they sniff their way toward the dining room and the warm welcome of a breakfast gathering. My scratched up table might share memories of… Continue reading Nurturing Faith and Strengthening Family Ties Around the Table
