An hour and a half left in my audiobook and I’ve succumbed to tears. It’s seven thirteen of the a.m. as my wheels hum on the highway.I’d kept secretly rooting for this character. I couldn’t quite explain why; he didn’t seem to deserve it. He sneers. He’s very unhelpful. Rather hateful. He belongs to the […]
The Compassion of Companioned Presence Without Pressure
The wind howls outside as it’s done all day. I am weary of it. It bears down hard as I step out the backdoor, my arms laden with bags and boxes.I wave at my nieces as I deliver supper to the wheat field. I greet them and tell them I feel quite complainy about the […]
The Backyard Beckoned a Beauty Hunt
The backyard beckoned a beauty hunt.I acquiesced as I fumbled for worn ebony flip-flops. Once outside, our June breeze swings friendly combat, gives challenge to the muggy air. The humidity wins and my t-shirt begins to cling to my back as the heavy air presses in on skin and the sun reappears in a hide-and-seek game […]
Pondering our Whats and Hows
What we believe impedes our lives or frees our lives.How we exert power expands our souls or shrivels them.Who we let speak into our stories brings us flourishing or finds us fading.How we process life either promotes growth or stunts our progress.What we strive for says something, tells a tale, forms our future.How we name […]
One Good Day in May
We bounce in our seats, our tires roll across the sand and dirt of our rural roads.Spring air swirls and sunshine dances with cumulus clouds.The back window creaks a sing-song melody. It’s a good day in May. It’s ordinary.No startling sensation. No splashy show.No monumental news or magnificent next thing. Boring, some might say.Perhaps they’re […]
A Counting and Accounting
Through the years…..of rhythms and routines, settledness and unsettledness, change and consistency, counting and accounting, here are a few numbers and notations that have been part of who we are, formed our family, find us standing here today. It’s fun to list.It’s notable to take note.There’s story in reflection. A shallow deep dive that barely […]
Every Critical Journey
I wonder….. What worried you last week?What weight are you carrying?What condemnatory comments cling to you, corroborate the character flaws your inner critic recapitulates over and over until it spins your soul in seditious circles and lands you in the dismal land of dissonance? What sinks you?What stress assails you?What pressed, pressed, pressed, until the […]
Our Right Now Days
Life is breathtakingly beautiful, ablaze with incandescent brilliance AND simultaneously achingly haunting and hard and hopeless. Melodramatic, maybe. Yet also a maxim of truth. Wonder stops us in our tracks with a blaze of glory.Wonder waits with impatience asking when. Faith offers firm footing.Faith frustrates us with uncertainites we can’t define. Delight dwells in hidden […]
I Hope April Hugged You
I hope April hugged you in warmth and comfort.I hope it bloomed for you in tulip red and daffodil yellow and hyacinth pink.I hope pansies pinpointed your pathway and peonies swayed with promise. Maybe April was lonely for you, the days long, gray, shadowy.Perhaps there were tears or an unexplained sadness you couldn’t shake.Angst held […]
Wherein We Muse On The Beauty of Togetherness
The beauty of a little coffeeshop surrounds me.Music plays from the speakers.One song, then another for an estimated hour and a half.We sip chai lattes with whip. Vanilla for my daughter. Spicy with espresso for me.We chat.Loop letters onto envelopes and attach stamps and stickers.Together. A few locals enter and exit the small-town shop.They all […]
Gimme Some Sugar: A Delightful Devotional Giveaway
April tiptoed in with sunshine and a whole gamut of temperatures with some gusty strong winds dispersed throughout our days for good measure. It’s not quite the April I would order, but there you are.Chilly or ninety degrees seem to be our options. I would gladly rejoice in an abundant two inches of rain, but […]
Wherein We Chat About The Chosen Season Four and Have a Giveaway
Have you been catching The Chosen in the theater? Did you know Season 4 has been releasing in the theater? 🙂IF you’ve watched this new season, I’d love to hear your takeaways and the scenes resonating with you.If you didn’t know you could go to the theater and watch The Chosen, well, today is your […]
Logos
We sing about the drummer boy.He brings the best gift he can offer.The only gift he has to offer.He plays with his whole heart. We pa-rum-pum-pum with him. Linus recites for us.And when he reaches the message the angels have to deliver, when he repeats their words, “Fear not. We bring you good news,” his security […]
Tall Like The Trees
A Benediction: I Hope For You
I hope, my friends, this year has been good for you. Not perfect. Not hashtag blessed. Not even fantastic. No need to glance at all the glossy appeal the highlight reels might give us. Instead, may we gaze around, and in, the interior of our real lives we live one quiet day after another.As we reflect back, […]
Wherein We Find My Favorite Books Read in 2023
No. 1 All My Knotted-Up Life by Beth Moore No. 2 The Donkey Principle by Rachel Anne Ridge No. 3 On Getting Out of Bed by Alan Noble No. 4 My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman No. 5 Enchantment by Katherine May No. 6 Holy Unhappiness by Amanda Held […]