Gaining a heart of wisdom
A perfect Saturday: a hand-holding walk with a patient man, an antique store, a cafe, and, finally, a beach with two lawn chairs. In the company of the Atlantic Ocean, the summer sun, and my snoozing husband, I was introduced to a new poet -- Marjorie Maddox -- in my meandering read through True, False, None… Continue reading Wherever the Poem Takes Us
The epigraph for Psalm 142 reads: “A contemplation of David. A prayer when he was in the cave.” How wonderful that David knew God could hear him from his gloomy hiding place. These thoughts, shared today, were written during the summer of 2014, at the beginning of my mum’s precipitous decline, and from my season… Continue reading A Prayer from the Cave
My grown-up boys have a particular smile that I see whenever they come to the house, and I start hauling food out of the refrigerator. It's a combination of, "She really can't help herself, can she?" and "Well . . . I might be persuaded to eat a sandwich." Even though I can't keep a… Continue reading “Mother” Is a Verb, Too
He walked into the bank, obviously carrying a heavy load, and wearing a proud smile. "I can help you over here," I chirped in my newly fluent teller-ese, and the white plastic bucket landed with a thud on the counter. He had personally counted and rolled over five thousand pennies and was bringing his loot… Continue reading Musings – June 2016
For Mother's Day 2015, my boys collaborated on a load of bark mulch for my flower gardens -- and then faithfully spread every last particle. What a gift! They were certainly speaking my love language! Gary Chapman's five love languages have become woven into the fabric of our culture. Any conversation centered around interpersonal dynamics… Continue reading Filling the Love Tank
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 Are We Following?
David Letterman described life as a late-night TV host with this reflection: "Every night you're trying to prove your self-worth. You want to be the absolute best, wittiest, smartest, most charming, best-smelling version of yourself. If I can make people enjoy the experience and have a higher regard for me when I'm finished, it makes… Continue reading Healing the Divided Self
Christine unwrapped her sandwich, completely unaware of the scornful expressions on the faces of her Kindergarten classmates. "Mmmmm . . . feta cheese and olive," she thought, taking that first delectable bite. "What's that stinky stuff you're eating," wailed one boy, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "She's eating Greek cheese!" someone announced. "No wonder Greeks… Continue reading Shame-filled to Shame-free
For me, Round One was not such that I would have predicted a mushy Father’s Day blog post in my future. (Who would have ever predicted blogs, anyway?) My experience with this Hallmark holiday was aptly described by author, Leslie Leyland Fields: “Some will turn away from thirty minutes at the card rack empty-handed and sad.” Then,… Continue reading Father’s Day {Redeemed}
Everyday, the townspeople of Thrim would ask, "Hey, Yoj, how are you today?" And everyday, Yoj would answer, "I am fabulous and full of life!" And why shouldn't he be? Yoj was the happy doll maker who awoke each day with a song on his lips and dinner invitations almost every night -- until one day a mysterious stranger… Continue reading Fabulous and Full of Life!
Living Our Days 