This Life of Loose Ends
Summer came to an end at approximately five pm on Sunday night. At five pm on Sunday night, I was sauteeing squash ribbons (that four out of four children would not eat) and flipping cheese quesadillas (that two out of four children would not eat) while hollering at the boys to clean their room and listening to the firstborn debate...
The Lives of Dry Bones (An Announcement)
“… unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” John 12:24 *** It is the dream-come-true moment that lodges itself in our memories. The day the baby was born. Or the day you wore the cap and gown. Or the day you moved in. It isn’t that you’ve forgotten. It is...
Following Christ to Ferguson
It must have happened eight or nine years ago. One particular day about midway through the decade we spent in that southside Chicago neighborhood. I know this because my firstborn will soon turn eleven, but that day her stout little legs just managed to reach the sidewalk. We were sitting with my husband and a friend on the front steps of our...
Depression and the Gift of Grief
The world is loud and terrible this summer. It is as if the entire planet has tilted on its axis and dipped us all in nightmare. The grass outside my bedroom window is dotted with yellow maple leaves. I don’t know if this is because summer is already ending or because the largest and oldest of the maple trees is dying. Perhaps it is both. Land...
These Farmhouse Bookshelves: Summer Edition
(This is a summer installment in my occasional series of book recommendations. The following post contains affiliate links. You can find previous recommendations right here.) * I adore summer, but I was not made for summer. I was made for curling up with a book on snowy days. I was made for the slow, careful glide across ice. I was made for...
Here is the Fountain of Life
My youngest, not yet two years old, has begun to say her own name. She has been speaking of other things for quite some time. Important words like “shoe” and “mine” and “chicken.” But apparently one can live perfectly well for many, many months without feeling a pressing need to pronounce your own name. But if I ask … if I say, “Elsa, where is...