My daughter was expelled from Mother’s Morning Out. When she was two. “I cannot believe that Sandy King’s daughter bites.” Talk about a slap in my perfect parent facade. I was an older mom (at 38) and supposedly wiser. But I was raising a biter. It all started at a Gymboree open house. Abby and […]
the heart work of eviction
My in-laws finally realized their dream. They moved out of the old farmhouse into a smaller home built at the edge of Big Creek. Mom still had plenty of room in the new garage to set up her “museum” of old calendars, photos, farm implements, and antiques. Dad stacked stones in the creek so […]
encouragement: i missed it
The letters, they come every Christmas, faithful as the sunrise, shedding light on their lives. We’ve known each other for over 40 years when we worked together, and she encouraged the cute “detail man” to ask me out. I say “told.” He says “suggested.” She says “encouraged.” We visited them in Fort Rucker and then in […]
For When You’re Unexpecting
I know something’s up when the usher hands me a scrap of green ribbon. It’s not like our pastor hasn’t told us to expect the unexpected. That’s the title of this month’s sermon series, after all. And he believes in fun. I’m hoping this is fun. We find a seat front and center, our […]
When You Need a Little Fixing
I’d forgotten about this post from almost two years ago until the other day when Duane called my attention to it. It was a post I’d linked to one of his “Pleasantly Disturbed Thursdays.” A bunch of random thoughts. I decided to dust it off and repost it today. I’d call it kind of a […]
Spring Fling on the Farm
We load up the grand girls (and my artist child–just in case she and I don’t get away alone this week) and pay a visit to a Spring Fling on the Farm where we can bask in the fragrance of sheep urine and donkey dung. But the sheep don’t smell, and the donkey doesn’t ding. […]
Stripping and Soaking
I’ve turned the television to a music station–New Age. Don’t judge me. Right now I’m listening to a very soothing piano piece by Bernward Koch called “Evoking Wonder” from a CD titled Walking Through Clouds. There’s not a cloud in the sky. I watch a purple finch crack an oily shell, strip and probe and […]
Of False Signs and Feathered Hope
There was thunder. And there was lightning. And Grace called, all whispers. “Grandma, I was just in bed saying my prayers. And I asked God to bring Great-Grandma back. And I asked Him to give me a sign that she was coming. And right then there was this big flash. And . . . she’s […]
Of Eyebrows and Impossibilities
Grace throws her green backpack on top of the pink and blue three-ringed notebooks on the floor in front of the passenger seat. She settles her flip-flopped feet on top of it all, buckles up and pulls down the visor. She studies herself in the mirror while she brushes her hair. “My top eyelashes […]
I Belong in this World–and I am Angry
I don’t know what to expect. But I pack a new lunch bag with seven-grain rolls, cheese, snow peas, carrots, and blueberries. I toss in a dark chocolate bar and a packet of tea bags. I fill a new stainless container of water. I pack a suitcase, stuff pencils and notebooks and gum in a […]
