To sink down. To be depressed. That’s one way the BLB describes worship. Men and women prostrate on their faces when the holy presses in. Worship is God’s thumb on the heart. Deflating self. Elevating spirit. Worship is breathless in the face of breath. In all the wild and wonder. In all the chaos and confusion. […]
i just want summer to last
I’m sitting in a black wrought iron chair on the patio, munching a cream-cheesed cinnamon-raisin bagel. I hadn’t meant to eat a bagel. I’d meant to opt for something more healthy–like scrambled egg whites tossed with spinach and tomatoes and onions. But I’m housebreaking a new puppy, and it’s a grab-and-go day. (We swore there’d […]
big and small things
We’re packed up and on our way when he tells me about it. And it’s big. Life-changing big. Take-your-breath-away big. But this time I stay small and silent. And I listen. Do you know we use the same letters to build the words “silent” and “listen?” And it is this, this big thing, that […]
five minute friday: broken
Mama was frantic. She skittered back and forth. I braked hard on the gravel behind the four–maybe five–babies poised at the edge of the drive, little puffs on sticks. I never realized that killdeer look just like shorebirds. Later when I looked them up, I found they are actually a type of plover. I […]
the whisper of a fragrance
Caution: It’s Five Minute Friday, and you’ve entered a no-edit zone. ********************** The air breathes cool through the open window, wafts past the clean cotton Yankee votive that releases just a hint of fragrance. The shrub sways in time with the bell rope, and a hummingbird buzzes at the feeder, hovers in place, sips […]
five minute friday: listen
I’m coming upstairs this morning from the laundry room when I hear a wee voice. “These are my pets.” I didn’t hear them come in. But Abby’s in the kitchen with Lillee. She’s wearing a Hello Kitty shorts outfit with a purple shrug, sweet new shoes (“they’re flip-flops!”) and some orange sunglasses. “Nama!” Arms wide […]
when you fall, do you die?
I’d done it before. Climbed up and sat on that metal bar. I’d grasp either side with my hands and then throw myself forward. The idea was to end up swaying upside down by my knees, wind ruffling hair and fingers ruffling air. The kid didn’t believe I could do this trick. I’d show him. […]
when a kestrel invades my view
I’m standing on tiptoe at the kitchen counter. Steamy tendrils rise from my blue mug, the one with the yellow interior and yellow chicken on the side. I cup my hands around the warmth, sip hot Nantucket Blend. I’m listening to the news about a collapsed bridge in Washington state, and I sigh and […]
sing a new song
Snow fell on Sunday. In May. On Mother’s Day. It frosted the tulips white. “My mother would not be happy today,” my sister posted on Facebook. “She wouldn’t even be amused.” And I doubt if even we could have made her crack a smile by bursting into song and dance, perhaps with a spring […]
comfort in the uncomfortable
Comfort, the word, always takes me back to that uncomfortable place. A hospital bed surrounded by a forest of faces and the smell of alcohol and acetone. They’re removing the polish from toenails and fingernails, making yet another stab in my forearm, trying to pour life back into my body. While life pours into my […]
