To my younger self
I’m at my parents’ apartment in sunny Florida, helping out with another cataract procedure for my mother. I wrote about the first one several months ago, and the miracle of seeing clearly when you didn’t even know how much you were missing. When I arrived after my long drive, I found my mother upstairs looking through a basket of […]
The Stuff of Holy Week
Each year during Holy Week, I try to read through one of the passion narratives from the gospels, listening for what I need to hear. This year I will read from Luke’s gospel—Luke 22:14-23:56. There are plenty of words there to reflect upon, so I don’t have many more to add. Writing prompts abound, however, […]
At the Table
Our kitchen table has stories to tell. Yours probably does too. We bought it around 18 years ago when our children were in early elementary school. It was never intended to be an heirloom, and it certainly won’t be. It came straight out of a box from a discount warehouse. I remember sitting around it—all […]
What are you carrying?
My husband has a few things he carries with him every day in his pockets: his wallet, a pocketknife, and cherry chapstick. Every now and then he plays around with making an “everyday carry kit.” In a small Altoids tin he stashes more things you might need to survive in the wilds of South Asheville, […]
What if we started with “I don’t know?”
Some of my favorite moments serving as a pastor in a local church include questions from young people. Sometimes they come directly from the child, but often a parent greets you at the door after a worship service or class—child in tow—with the words, “We’ve got a question for you…” The child will repeat a […]
On Letting Go
Lent is an invitation to slow down and pay attention for a few weeks. One of the draws for me of observing a spiritual practice during Lent is the built-in container of time. Somehow the boundaries of the season bring themes and ideas into sharper focus. Or perhaps I’m just able to pay attention better when […]
Underneath the Ashes
Last week I wondered if we really needed another “Lenty” Lent focused on repentance and mortality. Surely, I thought, the last two years have given us enough time to embrace our frailty and need for grace. I was hoping we could spend this Lent celebrating glimpses of beauty and not dig so deep into the […]
Will this be the “Lentiest” Lent?
In the church world in which I’ve worked for many years, the season is about to change. Next Wednesday begins the liturgical season of Lent, when the church enters a time of preparation and repentance leading up to Easter. I remember in 2020 how some friends were saying it was “the Lentiest Lent” they’d ever […]
But what if I’m not a writer?
Let’s get one thing out of the way: You are a writer. Even if you don’t write every day. Even if you haven’t ever published anything. Even if you don’t intend to ever publish anything. Even if your grammar and spelling are atrocious (I had to look that word up to be sure I spelled […]
In Praise of Chicken Soup
People I love are sick. One has shingles. One has Covid, and the rest of the family are showing symptoms. The fear in both households is that a mild case will take a turn, and complications will ensue. It happens. And it also often doesn’t happen. I am reminded of the cheery/scary slogan my daughter’s college […]