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
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
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
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
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!
Welcome to Hope Harbor where the pace is slow, but news travels fast; where visitors arrive to relax and clear their mind of distractions and then come away with new perspective. It's an unlikely destination for Eric Nash with his partner-track position at a high-end Portland law firm. But when "a strategic repositioning" leaves him… Continue reading The Things We Most Desire
Even though the class was a disaster, I still regret quitting high school physics. I wish that I had hung in there with my little TI-30 calculator and all the boys who wore theirs in "denim-look" vinyl cases hanging off their belts or bulging from their shirt pockets -- not because I suddenly care about… Continue reading Persevering – in Grace
For ten lovely years we were six. I loved being six. In fact, I loved it so much that my email address incorporates our last name and the number six. However, numbers change as children grow up and take flight. After our oldest son married, we were mostly five, but sometimes seven; and when son… Continue reading Living Fully with a Broken Heart
It is staggering to think that the life of faith is really an invitation to share in the nature of God. He is holy, and he calls the believer to a life of holiness, providing the means and the might to make it happen. He is loving, and He pours His love through us in… Continue reading Toward a Theology of Reverence and Awe
Living Our Days 