Fishing with Old Friends
This summer’s unforeseen gift was time spent with several of my oldest (longest) friends. One was a long-planned study week with graduate school friends. This group first met half a lifetime ago, eager to study, and new to adulthood. Over the years we’ve driven across states for one another—to rejoice at weddings, pray in hospital waiting rooms, and show up […]
Where I’m From
“Where are you from?” Moving to a new place requires answering that question again and again. How do you answer it? A geographical place is the first answer most of us give. If we have time, we might mention neighborhoods or notable landmarks. We might play the “do you know” game if our conversation partner […]
All in a Day’s Work
Last week I got to spend a few days with family in Chicago. As our activities and itinerary took shape, the trip somehow turned into a tour of workplaces. One sister has a new role at her university, along with a fancy new office. I got to meet some of her coworkers, and take a brief tour of […]
Listen to your Life
This week one of my faith and writing mentors—whom I never met in person—died at the age of 96. Frederick Buechner was a minister, theologian and writer. His were some of the first books that showed me how writing can be revelation. How carefully chosen plain-spoken words, sentences, and stories can illuminate the presence of God—alive in […]
I Spy Objects as Writing Prompts
When my children were small we had a set of I Spy books. Each two-page spread revealed a random collection of objects spilled across the page, and a rhyme suggesting which ones to spy. We spent hours finding objects on the pages, and playing our own I Spy games together. I was reminded of those object-spying sessions as I prepare to lead writing workshops for […]
The Small Kindness of Peach Cobbler
It was still warm. The peach cobbler was a gift from our neighbors across the street and one house down. “We’ve been meaning to bring you something since you moved in,” said one of the women. We exchanged names and family details, chatting at the front door, while I held the dog back by her collar. Later, forks […]
What I knew and didn’t know
Writing is the clearest way I come to understand myself, and figure out what I didn’t know I knew. I can spend time thinking about myself—asking why and how come— but I soon get tired of the subject matter. My thoughts spin around in circles, and I get easily distracted before figuring much of anything […]
Paying Attention with Ada Limón
The poet Ada Limón said “Poetry is a way to remember our relationship with the natural world is reciprocal…it’s having a place to breathe and having a place to pay attention.” Earlier this month, Limón was named the newest Poet Laureate of the United States. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress said of her in the news release: “Ada Limón […]
We Are All Stardust
The best art helps us see something in a new way. It pushes the boundaries of our vision and understanding. Whether it’s a piece of music that lifts you out of yourself, or a photo or painting that draws your eye in, or a piece of writing that takes you somewhere unexpected and also true—it’s worth slowing down to pay attention.
New (Almost) Everything
Have: new house Not: new spouse Have: new F.R.O.G.* Not: new dog Have: new setting Not: new fretting** *This is what—according to our realtor and the internet—you call a “Finished Room Over Garage” (not the name for croaky hoppy amphibians, though they can be cute, or the acronym for “Fully Rely on God,” though I am in favor of […]