Gaining a heart of wisdom
On a day when snow was sticky and ankle deep, I took kitchen shears and lopped branches off a bush that grows in disarray outside the dining room window. The rush of school and schedules had bowed to the will of February vacation, and suddenly there was time for hope. Three fourths of the way… Continue reading Musings: February 2018
Glory is everywhere in these short days of summer. A walk to the mailbox overloads the senses with unusual bird sightings, progress in the garden, and the frenzied buzzing of bee scouts filling their saddle bags with the makings for a flourishing life. Clyde Kilby* laments: "One of the greatest tragedies of the fall is… Continue reading The Familiar Glories
After holding babies close, Holding hands on the walk to the mailbox, Holding feet to the fire, Holding loosely to the ones who have left the nest (Say it and say it until you believe it: "roots and wings," "roots and wings"), My hands and heart are learning the contours of a new holding: An… Continue reading Each Day By Name
"I'm glad you're the one reading this," said the patient husband. He was referring to the tongue-twisting list of names in I Chronicles 5 with all their adjacent vowels and unexpected consonant blends. I could see his point, but, to be honest, I was enjoying the effort of decoding the names and then saying them,… Continue reading Why Read the Lists?
Not in the curl of smoke from cozy fire; Not in the fir trees, cloaked in snowy white; Nor chickadees in formal dark attire; Not in the wintry stars' pinpricks of light; Neither in the window candles, spilling Their golden rays across the powdered ground; Nor in the crimson berries' vivid contrast To holly's green… Continue reading Christmas Eve on the Hill
Wait until the sun is summer high, On an orange day after someone has said, "Tomorrow, Let's go to the beach!" Then, whir the mixer And scrape the bowl. Alternate wet and dry. Breathe cocoa dust and fire up the oven. Grease every pan you own -- Every one, because you will need them. When… Continue reading Recipe for a Whoopee Pie Day
In Ephesians 3, Paul bends over backwards and strains his amazing mental thesaurus to communicate to his readers that God is the very essence of abundance. Given this, what do we do when our hearts need truth in the moment? When all that our eyes can see feels like "not enough"? In days of abundance,… Continue reading Preserved
"As for man, his days are as grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And the place thereof remembers it no more." Psalm 103:15, 16 Every day there are fewer shingles -- and more bare roof. Every day there is less barn and more sky Until,… Continue reading “Resurrection”
Multi-syllabic, Mostly unpronounceable, They march across the pages. Trailing their fathers, Embedded in community, Their names inscribe the ages. There are no nameless -- There are no faceless -- Followers of God Most High. Although we read them With hearts too numb to marvel At the grace that's between the lines; For these are the… Continue reading Just One Thing: Names
Rising In time to taste the last slice Of apricot haze before morning sunshine -- I thought -- To be the giver. Peanut butter syrup simmering on the stove and An industrious waffle iron manufacturing perfect chocolate grids: The gift of a warm breakfast before a cold day of snowy mountain fun. Lanky Redwood forest… Continue reading Saturday’s Gift
Living Our Days 