The world here is resting in gray and white and brown. It seems like it’s been resting now for far too long, and surely it’s time to get up already. I remind myself there’s, “[S]till movement in this waiting,” as Emily P. Freeman says in A Million Little Things: Uncover the Art You were […]
what (or who) holds you back in your work?
A new position opened recently, and my husband was uber qualified to fill it. But it was out of state and involved a lot of travel. I wearied of weighing all the options of what life could look like should he apply and be accepted. Would I move with him? Or would I stay here? […]
leaning into the winds of change
White waves roll across the field, and cyclones swirl from the surface. The feeder’s are a’flurry, and the windows thunk more often as the birds bounce off them. Everyone’s talking about the weather. Janice Dean of Fox News says she’s never seen anything like it in all her years as a meteorologist. But I remember […]
three musicians you should know
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 […]
helping a child transition
Packing up the dreams God planted In the fertile soil of you Can’t believe the hopes He’s granted Means a chapter of your life is through. ~Michael W. Smith I find Jacoba Brenda in a storage tub, buried with her sisters under musty newborn-turned-doll clothes. I gently pull her out and cup her beany body […]
learning to color inside the lines
I’m pretty sure my heels left ruts in the red clay when my husband’s transfer pulled us from the Georgia pines to the Florida palms. I was quite happy nestled in my Southern belle box with my magnolia blossoms and sweet tea. With the help of a Country Living featured decorator, I’d finally feathered a comfortable […]
aging with corn, cars, and snowshoes
Age puzzles me. I thought it was a quiet time. My seventies were interesting and fairly serene, but my eighties are passionate. . . To my own surprise, I burst out with hot conviction. ~Florida Scott-Maxwell as quoted in Mindfulness, p. 93 I’ll call him John. He was a retired minister who lived in the foster […]
life after art: good enough
My husband would be the first to tell you he is not particularly handy. Even though the Handyman Club of America sent him a card in the mail designating him as a member in good standing. How that came to him is still a mystery. When he was in school, all ninth grade boys had […]
