August 18, 2011

There are very few things in the world that are black and white to me. Wherein I am comfortable saying “this is ALWAYS right,” or “this is NEVER ok.” For instance, I am a pretty steady liberal on most things, but I don’t have a clear line on abortion. I take issue with both sides of the aisle on this one, and it is just a difficult, painful truth of our society. I guess you could say i’m of the... Read more

August 16, 2011

What's that I hear? Is that a little bit of empathy, oozing from the pages of a silly-looking kids' book? What (7?) year old recognizes that not everybody in the world is JUST LIKE THEM? What small child wants to make friends with the new kid from Paris (even if it does turn out to be Paris, Texas,) so he will feel at home? What kid gives up something they really, really want in order to give to someone else? Nancy, that's who. She just looks so darn cool doing it, kids never even notice they are getting a lesson in how to be a real person. Read more

August 12, 2011

Wow, this is going to be a great book. Sorry family, you will be microwaving your own dinner tonight, mama is reading. Wow, that was an awesome book! If I know you, I’m going to make you read it. I kind of want to read that again. I really wish I’d written that myself… This is the 5-stage journey of a really excellent book. Kathryn Stockett’s, “The Help” took me through every one of them when I first read it, with... Read more

August 11, 2011

“Why is it that every time we go to southern California, we are absolutely the Clampets?!”  A personal favorite Bartlett-ism from The West Wing gospel files. President Bartlett and his staff have travelled to California, where they need to really impress some people who could help them get re-elected, and calimity ensues. Ultimately, his personal aid and his White House Communications Director get into a bar fight and wind up in jail. Thinking of that moment as I wonder: Why is... Read more

August 10, 2011

There is no “I” in Christian. Oh, wait… I’ve finally figured it out. Why I can’t stand Christian radio. For years, it’s been driving me bananas, and I don’t even listen to it enough to make a fair justification of why. I keep thinking maybe I’ve judged the whole industry unfairly. Kind of like cauliflower. Every now and then I figure, “I’m a grown up now, I should like this…”  So I give it another bite–another 30 seconds or so of... Read more

August 9, 2011

There are bad pictures out there, of every single one of us. Images of ourselves that lead us to diet, exercise, buy a new wardrobe, dye our hair to cover the gray... Let this image on the cover of Newsweek be a reality check for an angry America. This is what our fear looks like at a jillion megapixels, and it is not pretty Read more

August 8, 2011

I gave her 3 chances. I am not a mean mom. 3 chances to help me make muffins without sticking her hand in the bowl of flour and sugar. After the third, she was not allowed to help me anymore. Kicking screaming meltdown ensued. Morning—day OFF morning—disrupted. Was it worth it? Thing is, it was not about the muffin mess. I don’t mind cleaning a little flour off the counter. But after 3 times, she was testing. And the answer... Read more

August 6, 2011

Around here, if you want to enjoy any outside time between june and october, it has to be early. I mean like, nonsense early. Luckily, our kids wake up nonsense early. So this morning, we threw on some shoes, grabbed the dog, and were leaving the house by 7 (true story) babies and all. I mean, I left the house without COFFEE people. Don’t fear for my family though. They are all ok. We moved to a beautiful preserve area... Read more

August 5, 2011

even though I grew up in Kentucky, I did not know I was from Kentucky until Mr. Berry gave me the great gift of place. He is a poet, a prophet, a leader, a teacher; a farmer, activist, environmentalist; writer, humanitarian and award-winning voice in the great big world. But above all, he is a Kentuckian, and he has shown a great many of us–wherever we may roam– what it means to be “from” someplace good. Read more

August 4, 2011

The good news is, she didn’t go for the walls. She didn’t go for the furniture. She didn’t even go for the dog or the baby brother. She went for August. August in my perfectly-planned planning planner. And she created a masterpiece that ran across every day on the page. Read more


Browse Our Archives