Last Christmastide I, once again, grossly overestimated my powers. To begin with, in an attempt to be hospitable we had invited international guests into our home who spent most of Advent and all of Christmas with us. On Christmas Eve, my roast beef, which was intended to both impress and embody the spirit of feasting…
I love reading and listening to stories. When the stories feel real and true, I love them even more because they make me feel that the longings and dreams I have are not thwarted but possible. They resonate with my heart and propel me to noble behaviors. When I consider David and his sins yet…
We used to live in a small town in Virginia just off the Chesapeake Bay. Many a day when William got home from work we would be ready with bathing suits on and lifejackets in hand. Taking along dip nets and pails, we would jump into our little john boat and head out the mouth…
Oh, young man, I want you to rise up early and seek the face of God. To reach over to your bedside table, still bleary with sleep and grope for God’s word, hungry to put just one line of it into your awakening soul. I want you to hear the voice of the holy Spirit…
The other day my eldest son, who is rarely critical, told me that I always wanted to be right about everything. It wasn’t said in an accusatory or confrontational way but in passing, as part of a natural conversation—which made me sit up and take notice all the more. Not a vehement rebuttal to one…
My house felt like an absolute mess. Toys were scattered around the floors, doors to the outside stood open with flies coming in to forage, grass and dirt littered the floor, and random cups, plates and shoes were all strewn about. AAARRRGGGHHHHH!! It felt like chaos! For several hours we had enjoyed the fellowship of…
None of us can deny the power of a good story. From Ferdinand the Bull to Gone with the Wind, from Scheherazade’s Arabian Knights to the Bible’s own Prodigal Son, stories have a staying power that captivates us, the scenes of which are easily played back again on the screens of our imaginations. While the…
I have always loved poetry. There is a musicality to it that makes it both pleasing to speak and easy to remember. So many poems from childhood, with their everyday themes, fit easily into the small moments of life. I can hardly push one of my own children, my nieces, or nephews in a swing…
Most of us know her – our creative friend. She is the one who takes beautiful pictures, writes poetry, sews her own curtains and her children’s clothes (or sews their clothes out of the curtains!). She is the creative type, we tell ourselves, and look around at our own drapes bought at Target, and we…
Our children love to hear us tell stories. Stories really are the language of home. Home movies, scrapbooks, Shutterfly books and the like all tell a part of our family histories. On their birthday we always sit down and tell each child the story of their birth– the anticipation we felt as new parents, the…
