Entrance to Maple Hill Cemetery on Memorial Day Today we remember those who serve(d) and sacrifice(d). My father tried to get into every branch of service during WWII, but was unable to because of his congenital nystagmus. (If he had been, would he have married my mother? Would there have been a me?) He was accepted […]
God On His Knees
I spoke once, maybe twice that day during an Emmaus Walk. I’d given my best, and what energy remained leaked through the cold metal of the folding chair and pooled on the floor. I sat towards the back of the conference room, and I wanted to be engaged with what the next speaker shared. But […]
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 […]
God on his knees
I spoke once, maybe twice that day. Poured myself out, and what energy remained leaked through the cold metal of the folding chair and pooled on the floor. I sat towards the back of the room, and I wanted to engage with the next speaker, to let her words seep deep. But my head […]
in which i stretch out my palms
I stretch out on the blue carpet in front of the family room fireplace, palms up. And I beg God to let me feel the pain, to identify with what Jesus experienced as spikes seared his flesh. But as I wait in the stillness, I sense these words. “It is finished. Done. Over. Paid for […]
Reflections from a Waiting Room
Her name tag reads “Colleen.” She wears blue scrubs, and the embroidered patch on her shirt reads “Eye Surgery…Something.” She sits still, bent to the side a tad with right elbow leaning on the chair arm, palm on cheek. She’s crossed right knee over left and wears the tiniest white work shoes, maybe even […]
Roots, Relationships, and a Seagull
The parsley and the basil roots pant for water as they bake in their biodegradable pots. I meant to sink them deep long before this. And the geranium 6-pack baskets, bought over a month ago when spring exploded early? Once luscious red, now with browned heads. I need perennials. Plants that thrive and spread […]
Because the Father Turned His Face (Repost)
He came on a colt. The fragrance of His coming preceded Him. A King bent on a peace mission. Hailed in the name of the Lord. But hearts would harden, spittle would fly, and fists would fall. Bone-and-metal-tipped strips would find their marks. He would be ripped apart like the temple curtain. Thorns would gash […]
Textures of Text: Worth the Sacrifice
They had reached the end of their rope. Steeped in self. Stuck to stone and stubble. Deep in depravity. They stumbled in sin and set nets for others. Held hostage by habits. With hearts hardened by a spirit of harlotry. Without knowledge of God. And He was about to let them go. When they go […]
