A couple of Sundays ago, I had a phone date with my 90-year-old grandmother, Deenie (aka "Cotton"). The boys were outside in swimsuits with Chris and a water hose and I had an hour-long window and a phone. After a week of family stomach-bug yuck, I called Deenie, cleaner and sponge in hand, ready to scrub every surface of the house while we talked. Instead, I ended up at my kitchen table, pen in hand, scribbling her words onto scraps of paper. Nine years ago, I bought … [Read more...]
{This Sacred Everyday} is a collection of posts about encountering God in the plain places, in the monotonous, in the daily. Today's reflection is from Ed Cyzewski, who became my Real Life Friend recently when we met at The Festival of Faith and Writing and bonded over our shared love for all things Philadelphia. What I appreciate most about Ed is his commitment to encouraging and building up other writers in his sphere of blogging influence. He is an encourager at heart and inspires me to be … [Read more...]
A month ago I sat in an auditorium at the Festival of Faith and Writing waiting to hear author Ann Voskamp speak about story and beauty. I sat among rows and rows of eager fan-ladies, all of us longing to hear the sound of her voice, hoping she would whisper secrets to us about how to live and write and live on a farm and take perfect photos with a grateful heart. Though I was not expecting Voskamp, the author of One Thousand Gifts, to arrive on stage cracking jokes and rolling her eyes … [Read more...]
Parents who will drive eight hours and spend money on a hotel room on the way, just to stay two days with my family Riding bikes (in the street!) with August and feeling the gift of his growing up My dad and August in the backyard, sticking tiny ants under the microscope Bubbles and a baby pool in the grass, bug spray and sunscreen My mom bringing her own science experiment (baking soda and vinegar and food coloring) to make with August Evening meals with my parents on the deck, even … [Read more...]
A year and a half ago, when my son first dreamed that a walrus (yes, I said a walrus) had entered his closet and rummaged around, I could not make that screaming child feel safe again, no matter what I tried. First, I lied about my own power: Look! I have Walrus spray! I’ll just spray your closet and he’ll never want to come back. Then, I made up a story to explain it all: Oh, I talked to the walrus and he’s super sorry, buddy. He meant to go to the apartment down the street where … [Read more...]
Last night, after the kids snuggled into beds and the cat (who is getting better!) ventured out of his sick room to sleep on the couch, I ate a frozen pizza from Target by myself and scrubbed the toilet and the floors. There's something special about cleaning in preparation of something. My parents are coming for the weekend and whenever I clean for them, I remember my mom cleaning for my grandmother's visits. It's just something daughters do for mothers...and it's good. (Or, at least, it can … [Read more...]
Oh, friends. Are you so tired of me saying it’s been quite a week? If you are, I won’t say it again. Instead I’ll say this: I’m ready for my husband to come home. And I’m ready for my cat to stop going to the hospital. (This is when I should stop and thank God for how good I have it and for how great my kids have been this week and how thankful I am for my community here in Austin.) Last night, instead of writing a profound post, I drank tea and watched Parks and Recreation in my … [Read more...]
Today we begin a new series around here. {This Sacred Everyday} is a collection of posts about encountering God in the plain places, in the monotonous, in the daily. I’m writing our first installment, but I’m thrilled that the rest of the series will be written by other writers and bloggers I admire. Look for it every Wednesday this summer. Chris is leaving the house in the dark at 5:30 am. I’m up in my drowsy state rummaging the bathroom for the hydrocortisone cream … [Read more...]
What a week! It included: The Stomach Bug Incident of 2012, which took over my life (as both patient and nurse) from Wednesday to Saturday. And since Ezra the Cat decided I was too relaxed on Sunday, he decided to throw out his back. (Yes, cats can actually do that.) So, my dear husband spent three hours at the Animal ER with our sad little cat who could barely walk. However, during those days, I kept being reminded of goodness. And, this, my friends is what I was thankful for: Sick … [Read more...]
“Make [Christianity] attractive, make good men wish it were true, and then show that it is.” –Blaise Pascal* Blaise Pascal was a scientist. He believed in the simplicity of hypothesis tested by research. He believed in fact. He used his mind to make proofs. But he did not believe God could be calculated or proven into existence. He understood that a book of facts will never turn someone toward God. Only the heart can do that kind of work. Pascal believed in God because he … [Read more...]
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