Warm, barefoot summers in Kansas I avoided them at all cost. Those feisty red ants had hills stationed throughout the farmstead. If a kid wasn’t looking where she was going, she got a painful reminder that she was infringing on their territory. Still, I spent hours observing those little guys at … [Read more...] about To Manage a Mountain
joy
Tweaking Tradition, Part 2
Christmas is thundering closer. But something just doesn’t feel right. We just spent five days traveling to the Cleveland Clinic for my heart failure evaluation. Not a journey I wanted to make the week before Christmas. But this is where God has us now, and it’s been a mixed bag with lots of … [Read more...] about Tweaking Tradition, Part 2
Tweaking Tradition, Part 1
Tradition is not a neutral word. Like college football, or Jesus, or anything political, it evokes a strong emotion, reflecting how traditions have played out in our lives. I, too, have had a love-hate relationship with traditions over the past few years. The following article was first … [Read more...] about Tweaking Tradition, Part 1
Echoes in Eternity
“You are my hero,” she said. It echoed inside my head for months. I felt the deep inaccuracy in her words from the start. This vibrant woman full of life and grace and love, had no business looking up to me. But her enthusiastic rallying for others is part of her charm and part of her … [Read more...] about Echoes in Eternity
Becoming Mom
Tomorrow is May 1: May Day, my sister’s birthday, my youngest daughter’s birthday. May also brings the National Day of Prayer and, outside of the last day of school, the best occasion: Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day always brings a flood of memories to us empty-nesting moms. We can still remember … [Read more...] about Becoming Mom
Pacing the Race
I fumbled for my bag and squeezed toward the doors, then exited the stuffed bus. The T, Boston’s public transit system, was overwhelmed this day. Too many of us clueless, anxious visitors trying to navigate a tricky system of lines and stops. But my husband left the Airbnb six hours earlier, so I … [Read more...] about Pacing the Race