Sometimes joy hides right in the open, waits for me to notice. thrums with sweet surprises to melt life bitter while I look squinty eyed right at her or past her or through her. But with my God-tinted lenses, I see her in the midst of the storm. And a grandgirl hidden in Yahweh. I […]
For National Nurses Week: Through the Time Tunnel (repost)
Monday, September 13, 2010 I enter a time tunnel and stand in front of Andersen Center, what used to be Andersen Hall. I’m surprised that it still stands. I’m overwhelmed. I look up and see my room. On the corner. With the bay windows. I must go inside. But my husband says we can’t. There […]
Clinging to the Muchness of This
Isaiah 43:1 “I’m adopted!” I spit those words at my parents and slammed the door. It was about the worse thing I could think of to say. I didn’t know what adopted meant, but I was pretty sure it meant I didn’t belong. That they didn’t really love me. How could they? How much […]
And I’m Off
I was so looking forward to the Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin College starting tomorrow. And hanging with friends from The High Calling. But Monday night I started to cough. On Tuesday my chest felt heavy, and I lost my voice. I felt utterly exhausted. Got my feathers ruffled. Facebook friends started to […]
I’m Drunk
God’s been romancing me this week. Wooing me in pinks and golds and greens and blues. I drink His beauty, but I can’t get enough. I take photo after photo from the kitchen window of the blooming tree next to the garage, about 40 feet away (and discover that the big girl camera has captured […]
In Which I’m Tired and Discouraged
“Nama! I wanna ge’ up!” I sigh and roll over. It’s not 4 a.m. like it was yesterday, but it’s still dark. And there will be no quiet time again this morning. I feel around on the bed for my robe, swing legs over side, and scuff the floor until my toes find slippers. I […]
They Call Him . . .
September 4, 2012: Today I’m linking this post with the synchroblog celebrating the release of Inciting Incidents, where six creatives share their stories about collisions of dreams and disappointments, of clashes between faith and the “reality of our broken planet.” Be sure to explore the Inciting Incidents website–including the free gifts and a boatload of free […]
When You Need to Remember
Ash Wednesday. Ashes. The words triggered one of those grief waves. One in which I remember my mom wheeling out to the living room to say she was rooting for the Yankees while we whooped it up for the Tigers. It’s the last memory I have of being at home with her before […]
Of Green Mohair and Breakdowns
He’s had this green mohair cardigan for years. Charlene gave it to him. The same Charlene who scrawled across two pages in his high school yearbook. I tease him and call her “If-Our-Love-Is-True-Charlene.” And he laughs and crosses his arms and scratches them like he does when he gets embarrassed. But he still wears it […]
In Which I’m Interrupted
I curl into my fluffy white bathrobe. The fragrance of Country Chic lotion mingles with the faint scent of bleach. The morning sun streams through the front window, and a red cardinal eyes me from a bare branch. I cup my hands around my His-compassions-never-fail mug and inhale the aroma of fresh-perked black coffee. Then I […]
