Functional rather than attractive, it never seemed odd or significant that we called it the “utility room” growing up. After a major remodel gobbled up our one-car garage, this tiny room became both a laundry room and miscellaneous storage. It was where our washer and dryer and muddy boots lived, … [Read more...] about Utility Room Faith
pacemaker
Not What We Expected
It’s been six months since we said goodbye in the middle of a bizarre autumn cold snap. It should have been in the high 60s that day. But it wasn’t. Snow fell like grace in the late October wheat fields as we buried my momma. A strange blanket of comfort, as if God was saying, Unexpected … [Read more...] about Not What We Expected
On Hope and a Plan
In the 1970s, the year 2020 sounded very futuristic, like the shows we watched of The Six Million Dollar Man or Lost in Space. About that time, my older brother wrote some far-away predictions on a classroom-sized chalkboard that hung hidden (and rather out of place) along one wall in our … [Read more...] about On Hope and a Plan
A Season of Grief & Gratitude
“You just sunk our friendship!” My older sibling laid the harsh words on me early one Christmas Break. I was a little unclear about what I had done, but I knew it was bad, and this faux pas had created a big loss. We could no longer be friends. Ever again. Crushed, I did the only thing my … [Read more...] about A Season of Grief & Gratitude
A Better Memory
The almost-antique farm truck is a strange combination of burned metal and rust from years of weathering. I remember the fire that caught our neighbors by surprise one hectic week in a June far behind us. Deep into the rush and importance of harvest, the truck was crossing the recently-cut stubble … [Read more...] about A Better Memory
Learning to Lament
It was an ordinary Tuesday. As I made my way into the choir room, I remember seeing her older brother pacing outside the school office, waiting for her to be released from class. My childhood friend’s mother had died after a long illness when we were seniors in high school. I knew her mother … [Read more...] about Learning to Lament