It was a warm, blue-skied afternoon on our recent trip to Arizona and New Mexico, and Anthony and I were about to hike down into historic Canyon de Chelly. First Ted and Evie, our hosts and my dear friends for a number of years now, walked us to several of the most famous lookouts […]
Canyon de Chelly, Kit Carson, Navajo Long Walk
I kept trying to ignore the gentle nudge. I sat outside the building where our classes meet, under the big oak tree at the picnic table that seems built for first graders, though our high school students often have lunch there. Purple pen in hand, I was trying to annotate my way through […]
I know, kind of a depressing title, right? But if you’ve been monitoring the news the past week or so, maybe you understand a bit what I mean. My heart has been heavy for those in Nepal, with loved ones buried under piles of earthquake rubble…for those in Baltimore, where pain and frustration […]
I don’t know about you, but lately I feel like I’m constantly trying to catch my breath. Not physically, but just trying to keep on top of all the . . . stuff to do. I need to finish reading a manuscript for a dear critique partner. Then I need to read a […]
When I was down beside the sea A wooden spade they gave to me To dig the sandy shore. My holes were empty like a cup In every hole the sea came up Till it could come no more. ~Robert Louis Stevenson I’ve been down beside the sea. Thanks to the shared space of some […]
My mom and sister and I finished watching South Pacific the other night. We’d started it a while ago, after I gave it, along with two other classic Rodgers and Hammerstein DVDs, to my sister for her birthday, but with the busyness of life lately we’d hadn’t yet seen the second act. Though […]
I’ve often felt inadequate lately. Ever since we moved, I can’t seem to get on top of things. Blogging—writing—keeping in touch with friends—housecleaning—laundry—unpacking. Each day, it seems, I’m confronted with my inability to keep up with pretty much anything, at least to the extent I think I should. Then I started realizing, maybe one thing […]
The heat from the cooking fire dampened her face and plastered her hair to her forehead. Duck roasting, stew bubbling, bread baking. She glanced into the front room, irritation rising like the steam from the lentil pot. Her sister still sitting. Of course, it was a good thing to listen to Jesus. A very good […]
Folding laundry can be enlightening sometimes…at least when I’m listening to Michael Card. Feeling a little overwhelmed by all that needs doing in the next few weeks and unsure where to focus—including what to blog about—I decided tonight to tackle the obvious: a couple of piles of clean clothes and towels. And continue where I’d […]
Lately I’ve realized I’m feeling anxious nearly all the time. It’s not like anything horrible has happened. I know families facing crises right now, and ours isn’t one of them. But the daily stresses of winter sickness running through our household, our theater company getting ready for a show, selling one house while getting ready […]
