Annie, Just as I was starting to feel sorry for myself, you stepped in. I searched the bookshelf. I looked into Dostoevsky’s face, glanced at Desmond Tutu, but sent him away. As my heart and eyes continued their search, they came to you, sitting by Tinker Creek. I’m a pilgrim, you’re a pilgrim, and it just seemed right. I didn’t need anything frilly today. I needed truth, and that in the midst of quite a fog. When one spends the... Read more
Every now and then I let Eliot take pictures of his world with my iPhone. Sure, they’re a bit blurry and they show lots of chaos, but they show life from his low height and big, brown eyes, and that’s just what I love about them. Take it as art, because that’s what it is: Read more
Once a month, we’re pursuing sight and viewing the dailyness of our lives with fresh vision and fresh spirit. To read more from the series, click here. Join me by posting the link to your journey of seeing in the comments section below… It was late, the boys were in bed, and we were watching a Netflix show about King Arthur. When there are no little hands grabbing his fur, I lay Sam down beside me and begin to shed... Read more
We sit together, one, together, pressed into green chairs, shoulder to shoulder with the glory and remembrance of sainthood carved into our hearts, with cake on our laps and coffee steaming the air between. We, the broken and undone, We, the cherished and welcomed in. We, the family. And we bring to this windowed room our thunderous laughter and our stone-heavy tears, and we pour forth the nectar of our opened hearts and stilled souls. And we speak of quiet... Read more
The National Cemetary downtown has graves stretching in every direction. And instead of a harrowing fear of ghosts and ghouls, you experience the beauty of a botanical garden and an array of sculptures, all bringing life to a city of headstones and tombs. As we strolled the brick walkway in the chillled morning, I explained to my oldest son what it’s all for, how we remember each other by the place where some of us are laid to rest. It’s a... Read more
This morning I woke up before the boys, hoping to get a few minutes of a quiet heart and still soul before the day officially began. I got about 20 seconds, but that’s still something, isn’t it? I do this thing where I just open to a random page and ask God to speak– He’s a kind one, our God, even in dealing with our silly idiosyncrasies. I opened to “The Resurrection,” Matthew 28. The first thing Eliot wanted to... Read more
We received a shoebox full of fall leaves. My sister-in-law and I have a thing about mailing gifts to each other, though she’s certainly done it more times than I have, kind soul. The box was full of fruit leather and a few pumpkin spice oreos, even a fall candle. And an abundance of crunchy yellow, brown and orange foliage. They came at just the right time, because even though it’s fall in Georgia, it’s a bit more fall-like in... Read more
There’s something really wonderful about bringing a piece of a former world and home into your new one. Because it’s not just hearts and worlds colliding, but the seasons we’re all in, as well. The night before they were to leave, Cody and I sat in the living room and sort of admitted to ourselves and each other the seasons we’re in– theirs and ours– different, hard, but real and beautiful in the shadows. And the beauty of seasons colliding... Read more
When you’re close to running on empty, there are beautiful things that can fill you back up again. When you’re sleep deprived and brain-frazzled, there are experiences that can comfort the soul. There are tables of chili and cornbread waiting for you. There are new friends with open hands and hearts anxious to hear your story. You’ll sit by a wall of books and tell those little anecdotes that make life real and livable, while you drink sweet tea that’s... Read more
We’re attempting to get over about 4 days of sickness. It began with Eliot and worked its way through Travis and into Isaiah in fever form. — A fevered baby is a sad sight to behold, and my arms were kept full all day and night. When all my boys were sick, I consulted those holistic mommy blogs, the ones that brag on detox baths and honey-garlic concoctions. I added triple garlic to every meal, veggies and fruit for every... Read more
Stories - with Kaitlin B. Curtice
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