A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of. – Ogden Nash It’s not just dogs Mr. Nash. It’s me.  For my whole life, I’ve always wondered what’s on the other side of the door. Like a horse pushing his head through the narrow slats in the fence, the grass does seem greener.  It’s made for a life or discontent, or a life of wonder. It kind of depends. I think there is a spark in... Read more

If you’re human, you will have some sort of trial come your way. It’s a guarantee. You may lose a job, have a spouse walk away from you, or contract a life-threatening disease. There are smaller trials – like an unrelenting boss, a rebellious child, or a financial loss – that are no less trying. On Monday, I started a post called, “Don’t Waste Your Trial.” And there’s more to be said.  We’re really not supposed to buckle in and wait for the wild ride... Read more

Eventually, they come to everyone. You can’t really plan for them, because they sneak up in the middle of the night, or they raid your happiest moments in life, or destroy the ending to the perfect story. The formula that most people use for trials is simply to buckle in and hope they don’t fall out. When mine came, it surprised me. I had no idea. I thought about just gritting my teeth and enduring. But what if the trial isn’t... Read more

“Being content does not mean we are satisfied. In fact, to be content is to know we will always be groaning on this side of eternity.”   ~Lisa Graham McMinn Read more

Do you ever think back to the times and places that are now nothing but fading memories and wonder? “What could have been?”One of the more intriguing photos from my grandmother’s collection is this one. Handwritten is a date, 1936 and this caption. “As we left for California, a close up and the end of our N. Dak Ranch.”   There are other photos that depict the life — and none of it looks easy. There are images of  weathered men... Read more

I often equate listening to God with silence. But that’s not an easy task.  At my home, I can usually count on silence to be pierced from the dog next door, the ever-present highway noise that rumbles a half-mile away, or neighbors that always have to speak a few decibels higher than necessary. A walk in the woods offers moments of quietness, but still my own feet crush the ground and my jacket crumples in the crisp air. A tranquil... Read more

Growing up, there was nothing more intriguing—and confusing—than love. It’s supposed to make the world go round, but really, it just made me dizzy. People would fall into it, and then out of it. And to my young ears, every emotional response sounded strangely similar to a stomach ache from eating too much candy. Cradling me in her arms, my mother whispered the word to me. And I sensed it as I was consoled by my father, telling me that... Read more