I’m trying to come down from a Frio River high after four days at Laity Lodge in the Hill Country of Texas with members of The High Calling. On second thought, I don’t want to come down. I want to immerse myself in the sounds of running water and a crackling fire, the clatter of dishes, quiet […]
still saturday: where to see beauty
“God expresses Himself through creation and beauty. His beauty surrounds us, and the more we grow in God’s grace, the more we recognize His beauty in the world around us . . . “God’s saints can see His beauty in everything. Once we welcome the presence of God into our awareness, the world becomes […]
these are my people
We gather in the Great Hall facing the fireplace, sunk deep in soft sofas, perched on chairs, or sprawled on the floor. And my heart burns with words and songs, and tears flow, but they can’t extinguish the flames. Since wheels met water and we traveled through the river, I’ve felt embraced by the canyon […]
New Skin: Reflections from the Laity Lodge Writers’ Retreat
I’m one of the first to cross the threshold of the river into the canyon. The squeals that greeted me for last year’s retreat echo softly, then dissipate. I survey the dock and envision who stood where, who sat where, who clicked cameras. I remember skin-against-skin in hugs and handshakes. All’s silent now, still, save […]
31 Days on Coming to Grips with My Age ~ Day 2: A Magic Bullet
Sometimes I prefer carpet to chair. I can still criss-cross-applesauce. I’m a dashboard foot-propper gal. I can bend over, touch fingertips to floor. But my knees complain on a climb. I move slower. Clutter and chaos confuse me. I tire faster. I fear falling. My bones are soft. “I don’t want to be like my mom,” I […]
31 Days on Coming to Grips with My Age ~ Day 1: Botox, Bumps, and Bunions
I catch just a snippet of conversation. “You need to shave what?” “My chin,” she says. “My mother never told me I’d need to shave my chin. Our mothers need to tell us these things.” This is a place where real comes easy. Where we can speak the unspeakable, whisper a secret. And we laugh. […]
Into His Presence
Blue Hole at Laity Lodge It’s a two-hour drive from the airport in San Antonio to Laity Lodge. I watch the city clutter fall away as we head into the hill country, pass through open land dotted with live oaks and scrubby vegetation. I’ve tucked my Horseshoe Lake poem in my pocket because I’ve registered […]
Who Knew?
I joined Facebook four years ago. I began to blog three years ago. I linked up with The High Calling network two-and-a-half years ago. And somewhere along the line came Twitter–now over 16,000 tweets. (Am I too noisy?) Who knew anyone would actually read my words? Who knew I’d Jesus-walk in cyberspace? Who knew the […]
Because it’s My Birthday: Horseshoe Lake (revisited)
I planned to skip today. I mean, celebrating my birthday with the one who gave me birth being gone now two days shy of only two months just seemed–well, too hard. I even stripped my birthdate off my Facebook profile so it could pass quietly. I tried to share my feelings with one family member–perhaps […]
Saturday Snaps: More From the Canyon
Just some quiet photos from Laity Lodge. Still in the stillness,
