Week before last, my boys and I stopped by the hardware store afterschool for a cord of firewood and a new lighter. When dusk fell early that night, we trudged out to the backyard and attempted to light a fire in the fire pit. Now, I’ll have you know, I’ve been camping a time or two. I know how to stack the wood (in a pyramid shape). I know to add kindling, lots and lots of kindling, and to fan... Read more
On Friday night, my boys and I gathered around the scratched and worn dining room table. We wiped off crumbs from the meal before, and laid down holiday placemats made of red and green, pink and gold. We lit candles at both ends of the table: one, an orange harvest-scented candle leftover from Thanksgiving, and two, a couple of votives in the Advent wreath, along with the center candle because we don’t always play by Advent-lighting rules. As the boys... Read more
A couple of days ago, I left the house to take the dog for a walk. My older son stayed home, a pile of homework at his sixth-grade side all his to do. My husband was at work, my younger son at aftercare. When Rufus (the beloved dog) and I got home, the front door was locked. This, of course, was not all that unusual, nor was it the biggest problem known to humankind: even though I’d not brought my... Read more
Sometimes, our invitation is simply to notice. When I walk through the backyard garden, I notice when a weed pops up in the bed of garlic. When I browse the aisles of Trader Joe’s, I notice when a new tub of queso surfaces up on a refrigerator shelf. When I poke my head over the couch in the living room, I notice when bunched up pairs of dirty stray socks have not made it to their proper resting place in... Read more
Less than forty-eight hours ago, I walked and stood and wound my way through a neighborhood in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This was not just any neighborhood, mind you, but the neighborhood where uprisings started four years ago – where a man named George Floyd became a household name, where protests that began in an historically Black neighborhood called Powderhorn Park became part of 2020’s cry heard round the world. The short pilgrimage I embarked on was nothing short of impactful, to... Read more
Sometimes we just want to see. Earlier this week, I woke up, same as always: perhaps a little too early but grateful for the coffee, the silence, and the books that accompanied the darkness of morning. Perhaps like you, my vision is not exactly picture-perfect. I generally wear glasses at night and in the early morning hours, but then, when daylight arrives, I pop in my contacts for the day. On the day in question, I popped my contacts into... Read more
A singular image of anger often lives in my head. It’s an image that comes straight from all the cartoons I watched as a kid: generally involving some sort of animal, a mouse or a chipmunk, a duck or a turtle gets incensed about something. Someone ran them off the road. Someone stole a carrot.Someone slept in their bed when it wasn’t their bed to sleep in in the first place. Whatever the someone (or the something, for that matter)... Read more
What are we to do with the natural shoulds that often accompany life? You should be kind to other people. You should eat the food your mama serves you. You should strive to do your best, to limit screen time, to breathe in nature whenever possible. You should eat a healthy diet. You should work hard. And according to Scripture, you should love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And also love your neighbor... Read more
As I was reading a parenting book this last week, a statement about a particular kind of theory caught my attention. The authors were talking about attachment theory, you see, a theory that is a “psychological explanation for the emotional bonds and relationships between people.” As it goes within the realm of parenting, children often need to employ all of their senses in order to reestablish relationships with their parent or parents. They need to touch, taste, see, hear, and... Read more
We all crave wholeness. We all crave truth. Yesterday, my family hit up the localist of local baseball games: we jumped in our car, right around 12:30 to attend our first-ever Oakland Ballllllersssssss game. It was everything a minor league baseball game should be: a couple of food trucks, one with garlic noodles, another with ballpark nachos. Familiar faces, a giggling kind of laughter, wholesome, good hometown fun. Autographs from the players and the chance for our younger son to... Read more
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