On Swimming, and Mothering, and Writing
Posted:
August 27, 2015
Under:
Family and Parenting
The thermostat climbs, here in our house built facing the summer sun. Unwilling to turn up the air conditioning but desperate for relief, I put on my swimsuit, gather my towel and my flip-flops and my daughter. She laughs as I rub sunscreen into her round cheeks, squirms in excitement as I tug the swim diaper … Continue reading "On Swimming, and Mothering, and Writing"
Read MoreThe Stories We Tell
Posted:
August 20, 2015
Under:
Family and Parenting
I tell a story about a failed adoption, a story that is true, at least so far as I know. I lived it, endured it, fought hard to change it. My story involves a teenage boy and a teenage girl, kids really, confused and broken and young, who conceived a child. It involves deceit and … Continue reading "The Stories We Tell"
Read MoreBlackberries, Part II
Posted:
August 13, 2015
Under:
Family and Parenting
The blackberries ripen again, luscious and tempting, begging me to venture out into the hot summer sun and to pick them while the picking is good. I was, perhaps, a bit territorial this week; Jonathan told me the neighbor kids down the road, the ones who don’t really live here but whose parents come two or … Continue reading "Blackberries, Part II"
Read MoreOn Second-Trimester Abortions and Controversy and the One Question that Matters
Posted:
August 07, 2015
Under:
Loving Others
If you’re anything like me, in the past three weeks, you have been inundated with links and information about abortion, about Planned Parenthood, about scandalous undercover videos. If you’re anything like me, you’ve read about what’s going on behind closed doors, you’ve been horrified and saddened by the words and images shared, you’ve wondered how … Continue reading "On Second-Trimester Abortions and Controversy and the One Question that Matters"
Read MoreWhat I Learned in July
Posted:
August 03, 2015
Under:
This Thing Called Life
Emily over at Chatting at the Sky has made it a practice to record the things she learns each month. It’s a valuable habit, this habit of reflection, and so I’ve been joining her in it this year. If you’d like to join us as we remember, you can comment on this post with what you … Continue reading "What I Learned in July"
Read MoreOn Unanswered Prayers
Posted:
July 23, 2015
Under:
Loving God
I haven’t read many books dealing with spiritual topics in the past few years, haven’t spent much time perusing tomes about God or Jesus or living this Christian life. I’ve tended toward fiction, toward history and science and writing manuals, toward collections of short stories, collections of essays. There was a spat of inspirational reading … Continue reading "On Unanswered Prayers"
Read MoreFiction: Silence
Posted:
July 20, 2015
Under:
Writing
My first published piece of fiction is up at Brain, Child today, a flash fiction short story. I’d be honored if you’d read it. (Warning: it includes themes of child abuse and domestic violence). http://www.brainchildmag.com/2015/07/fiction-silence/ When he first read it, Jonathan asked me what inspired me to write this particular story, and I didn’t have … Continue reading "Fiction: Silence"
Read MoreWe Make a Good Team: Thoughts on Eight Years of Marriage
Posted:
July 13, 2015
Under:
Family and Parenting
I am blessed with a wonderful, happy, easy marriage. I want to be sensitive to the fact that this is not the case for everyone and so I don’t often write about how smooth it has been for us, but today, it seems appropriate and good to reflect a bit on this amazing partnership we’ve … Continue reading "We Make a Good Team: Thoughts on Eight Years of Marriage"
Read MorePeople Are No Damn Good
Posted:
July 06, 2015
Under:
Loving God
“People are no damn good,” Jonathan’s grandpa often told us, shrugging his shoulders in resignation at the state of the world when the news brought stories of evil to his door. Grandma would shush him, admonishing him to watch his language, but to no effect; the phrase became a family staple, one uttered on a regular … Continue reading "People Are No Damn Good"
Read MoreWhat I Learned in June
Posted:
June 30, 2015
Under:
Loving Others
Emily over at Chatting at the Sky has made it a practice to record the things she learns each month. It’s a valuable habit, this habit of reflection, and so I’ve been joining her in it this year. If you’d like to join us as we remember, you can comment on this post with what you … Continue reading "What I Learned in June"
Read More