It is always amazing to me how my kids play with things in cycles. Last week was Ninja Warrior, then it was trampoline. This week, especially the last few days, has been sidewalk chalk. I am not sure what it is about sidewalk chalk that is so enamoring. It is messy and it is temporary. […]
The Holy Longing of Happily Ever After
Some time ago, after I was given a collection of Grimm’s fairy tales, I asked my 8-year-old niece if she wanted to read one with me. Lilly said no, she doesn’t like fairy tales: “They have the worst endings. ‘And they all lived happily ever after.’ Stories shouldn’t end that way because that’s not what […]
Doing Nothing
Editor’s Note: Here’s an autumnal reminder from the archives… Recently, we’ve been reunited with our old friend Pooh. We had these CDs from the time my oldest boys were little, but they were so loved that they were scratched out of use a few years back. Now we have the audio again (this time from […]
The Path Where No One Goes
There’s a path outside my window, all covered with fallen leavesAnd I’ve never had the courage to discover where it leads.Many people live around me, they forever come and go,But I’ve never seen a single one walk that particular road. Perhaps there is a loathsome monster lurking around the curve,Or maybe a pernicious dragon I’m […]
Stories Are a Living Fire
Madeleine L’Engle, the author of Wrinkle in Time, once said stories “Can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe.” They have been for me. Especially when my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer. Charles Dalton was one of my heroes and one of my best friends. He […]