All along, Thought I was learning how to take How to bend not how to break How to laugh not how to cry— But really I’ve been learning how to die. -Jon Foreman, Learning How to Die I held up the gingerbread patterned nail file I’d received in my Christmas stocking and said, “This is…
“But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’. Anything beyond these is of evil” (Matthew 5:37 NASB). This year, I cut my hair (dramatically). I changed my name (both professionally and among family). I honored myself with a gift, in the form of a declaration of independence that I had desired for more…
Dear Reader, When my grandson was born and I was helping his mom during those first days of motherhood, I hung out at their apartment with her so she wouldn’t be alone while my son was at work. I didn’t have much to do when she and the baby were napping–which was often–so I binge…
I love musicals. As a young single mom, I spent many rainy afternoons snuggled close with my oldest daughter as we watched “singing and dancing” movies like “Newsies,” “Meet Me in St. Louis,” and ”The Unsinkable Molly Brown.” Many films simply stirred joy, but “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” carried all my favorite story ingredients: an underdog, an unlikely…
Rain drove me to the desert. Years of rain, actually. I’d grown up under gray Midwestern skies that lasted weeks in a row during winter and spring. And fall. Recess was soggy grass and slick playgrounds, a purple raincoat and foggy glasses. At fourteen, we moved to the sunshine state where humidity would collect in…
A few years back, I accompanied my twin daughters along with the rest of their grade school class on a field trip to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. I had plans to explore and engage in hands-on experiences, so when we were immediately ushered into the auditorium to watch a 3D film about…
My husband has many way-of-life habits and practices that help him to stay focused, organized and productive. I have very few of those habits. But I do have some way-of-life practices that keep me following close and hard after Jesus. I would love to tell you these practices have been easy for me, but I’m…
I sit mulling over my to-do list for the day. Wash two loads of laundry. Hem daughter’s dress pants for her internship. Buy gift for nephew’s birthday and teleport back two days ago to get it in the mail to him on time. The usual stuff. My pen is still poised over the paper when…
Have you ever met someone and thought: this person will certainly go places! While in college, many of my fellow students impressed me with their talent. But one particular classmate made me sit up and take notice. We both majored in music and sang in the same choir, but this woman also had theatrical talent….
Hibo had no immediate family in Djibouti other than her children. Her husband gave her three kids and HIV and ran off. She had one dead baby and two living. Hibo had her first baby, the one who died, when she was 14. Malnutrition had stunted Hibo’s growth, and because of malnutrition her children’s hair…
I’m not an outdoors person. At least, that’s not how I have ever described myself. After all, I’m not fond of bugs or dirt or rocks, and the outdoors holds a plethora of each. But recently I wondered if I should stop refusing to wear that title. Because my denial might not be entirely accurate….
I never saw a heartbeat inside a chest before, until one day, I did. This wasn’t something I set out to do; I’m not a surgeon nor do I work in the medical field. In fact, unless there’s a problem, I don’t pay much attention to the beat of my own heart. I trust in…
For most of the summer, I said no to opportunities that came my way. No to the article assignment for a magazine I regularly write for. No to a friend who invited me to speak at an event she hosts. No to camping trips and vacations and even a funeral. No because I had said…
Sometimes I dream in other languages. My subconscious mind takes words or phrases I’ve learned in my travels or from my international students and incorporates them into random scenes and interactions. But I had one particular dream that was more than just a mash-up of random pieces from the language files in my brain. I…