She’d just climbed up and in when it fell apart and down. The neighbor man made it for my mother-in-love and her sister when they were young. “The last girl to get married,” he said, “gets to keep it.” Mom gave the set to us shortly after our wedding. That bed’s enfolded guests, our […]
in which my week spins and i center
I’m curled up with my cream-colored plush throw to read in preparation for a High Calling book club discussion, when my daughter-in-law calls. My son’s vertigo is back, and he’s begging to go to the emergency room. I sigh. Not again. When it happens, it happens out of the blue and keeps him down for […]
of batteries and bluebirds
I glance out the window and gasp. “Grace, come quick! Run! Hurry!” When her lead foot lands on vinyl, I hiss at her. “Shhhh! Stop! Slow down! “G-ma’s lost it now.” I’m sure that’s what she’s thinking as the other foot freezes midair. She tiptoes to my side. Catch the rest over at at BibleDude.net […]
in which i love winter
I’m a summertime gal. Bring on the sun, the heat, the sweat. Let me rock on the porch with a glass of iced tea, sporting a pair of shorts and my Tigers T-shirt, inhaling the scent of petunias. Or give me springtime, air heavy with the fragrance of lilacs, pregnant with new life, the […]
walk in love: ephesians 5:1-20
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. ~Ephesians 5:1-2 (NASB) One of my favorite I Love Lucy episodes is the one where Lucy tries to avoid being caught imitating Harpo Marx by imitating him as if she were […]
musings on grace
Saturday I snapped pictures of the Grand River out the corner windows of our hotel room on the ninth floor. Then my husband donned his black tuxedo with the gray vest. I slipped into a little black dress and rhinestone-sparkle heels. We walked under two-ton crystal chandeliers that hung from a gold leaf ceiling, past […]
when you’re bare but not barren
I’m nestled under white down beneath slanted ceiling. I got the message on my phone. We’re under a wind advisory. I hear branches batter the roof and wonder if I should turn on the weather radio. My husband sleeps sound, snores soft. I’m in charge of safety. I slip on slippers and robe and tiptoe […]
fire and boxing christmas up–or not
I give the switch on the cord a quick twist, then stand back and admire the lights. I cup the hanging, worn, red apple in my hand, feel the rough, gaze at glitter that sparkles. It’s hung now on 42 trees–well, except maybe for two or three grief years when we skipped decorations. So make […]
i can see clearly now
Grace burrows into the hood of her orange sweatshirt and curls into pink plush on the couch. She complains of a sore throat, but she has no fever. Of course, it’s only 49 degrees in the house. “I can’t feel my fingers,” she moans. “Do you want some gloves?” “No. Then I can’t feel […]
of passings, plans, and a new word
I’m sitting cross-legged on my bed this morning. There’s a nuthatch on the branch outside the window–the window with the broad, cracked smile. The smile that D has sealed with transparent packing tape and dolloped with some whipped putty. The power line from pole to house corner sags and glistens in the sun, and […]
