Advent (Day 1)
A prayer for this first Sunday of Advent. Because we have arrived at a beginning, and we stand before an open door. *** “Lord, help me now to unclutter my life, to organize myself in the direction of simplicity. Lord, teach me to listen to my heart; teach me to welcome change, instead of fearing it. Lord, I give you these stirrings inside me....
Advent: Can You Feel the World Turning?
Advent. Here at Maplehurst, it is the darkest time of year. Darkness isn’t only a condition on the other side of your window. Sometimes, it is a weight on your chest. Sometimes, it is a fog behind your eyes. In other words, our walls and windows don’t always keep it out. *** *** Two years ago, I was living in a wilderness. I was so desperate...
These Ordinary, Impossible Dreams
When my daughter was small, she scribbled on paper like it was a paying gig. We hung her mini masterpieces on the refrigerator. We strung them on a line across the window with teeny, tiny clothespins. We even framed a few of the accidentally stunning watercolors. I say accidental because I am not a stage mother. Where some may...
Just Beyond the Bridge
There is something about autumn in this Pennsylvania countryside that turns my mind to ghost stories. When the fog curls around the trunk of the weeping willow, I half expect to see the headless horseman ride by. When I pass the field where the Hessian soldiers camped before they joined the redcoats, I think I almost see their faded muskets...
These Farmhouse Bookshelves
Autumn is a time for hoarding books. Like a squirrel and its acorns. Like my children and their Halloween candy. Winter, the reader's favorite season, will soon be here. And, yes, despite what we might say, winter is our favorite season. We can admire the beauty of fall, the fresh breezes of spring. We can enjoy mucking about in our gardens...
These Farmhouse Bookshelves
Here is something you should know: my bookshelves are brimful with the very old and the very odd. I bring them home by ones and twos. I bring them home by the bag. I bring them home from library sales and thrift stores. I find them in junk shops and antique emporiums. When I wake early on a Saturday morning to scour the deals at a children's...