How You Know You’ve Come Home
About a month ago, one of my closest friends had a dream. She wandered down a long, long driveway to find a house for sale. As she explored the property, she decided it was just the right house for us. The wind whispered in the tops of the trees, and it sounded like the word “jubilee.” In eastern Pennsylvania, we drive down a long, long...
With Our Faces Turned Towards Home
Last Saturday, my birthday, I woke to read these words: “At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home” (Zephaniah 3:20). With the kids out of school for the summer, I haven’t had much time to write for this blog. But that isn’t the only reason I’ve been quiet. Instead of spending time each day reading and writing, I’ve...
How More is Lost and More is Given
For fifteen years we celebrated our birthdays together. Sometimes they were long-distance celebrations. Cards and phone calls. Sometimes a room full of people sang “Happy Birthday” to the two of us. Those years, we shared cakes and posed together for pictures. She entertained my friends with elaborate (and messy) party games. She was our aunt,...
Don’t Stop Believin’
There are times when we get to see the full circle of the year pulled tight around us. The firstborn’s annual dance recital is one of those times. I remember leaving the downtown theater last year to find ash from the wildfires covering our car. Driving home that night we followed an enormous moon made blood-red by reflected smoke. I...
Revisiting the Summer List
I've been thinking about my Summer List. This once-favorite tradition hasn’t traveled well. I started writing Summer Lists in Chicago. At first, they were just for me, but my oldest child did contribute an item or two in recent years. A Summer List is exactly what it sounds like: a list of activities and experiences you want to do and have...
Why We Wait
Pentecost Sunday was nearly a week ago, but I still feel stuck in that room. Waiting. Asking this question: how did they survive the long, empty days between Jesus leaving and the Comforter coming? How did they endure being lifted up by the joy of a promise believed only to drop again into the discouragement of yet another not yet? And why the...