Like any self-respecting, globally conscious, middle class white girl, I feel guilty about the things I have. I try not to think about children in Kenya as I slip on my Kenneth Cole boots or homeless Americans as I prance around in my Lucky Brand jeans. I give to charity, but I don’t want to look like a street person myself. Is there middle ground between excess and deprivation? The answer might just be in controlling the closet and raising... Read more
Yesterday, a friend posted a video of a TED talk where Arianna Huffington argues that her new secret to success is…getting more sleep. I think she’s onto something. Her words reminded me of a conversation with a colleague I used to work with. For years, I’d been awed by this woman’s ability to juggle: husband, kids, work, ministry, travel, friends, beautiful home, entertaining…she did it all. Her schedule made me feel like I must be lacking some sort of accomplishment... Read more
Resolutions, routines, one, two, and five year goals–all the ‘best laid plans of mice and men’–are hot topics this time of year. But what happens when all that goal-setting goes awry? What if you’re working hard and seeing no success? What do you do when obstacles fall into your path? Many experts would say to keep pushing, overcome, press on, and to never, never, never give up. And, much of the time, they’re right. Perseverance is, indeed, a quality more... Read more
Two sides of Evangelicalism: Missionary zeal and redemption. Read more
I recently learned through Facebook an old friend of mine from my elementary school days has cancer. Read more
Jeff and I sit together in the home office of Dr. Mark, the social worker who sees our son, the son with anxiety, ADHD, and a few other letters that make life challenging, exciting, and sometimes funny. We are there to discuss Mark’s observations and suggestions. The game of Pick Up Stix is mentioned. My son and Dr. Mark play at the end of each session, and Jeff remarks, “Yeah, Zach is remarkably good at that game!” “Are you kidding?!”... Read more
January! Time for hibernating: warm soups on the stove, scented candles flickering on the counter, movie watching, book reading, and calendar plotting. Calendar plotting? I am a self-admitted calendar nut. I love to buy new calendars, to choose the perfect desk calendar (I have to scribble all over my calendar–and I now have an annual steady!). And of course, I love a fun wall calendar for my office, a.k.a., the kitchen. In the quiet interval between the holidays and the... Read more
The age old question answered in just one YouTube clip. Read more
Years ago, my Indian-American friend, the mother of a toddler, said she wanted her daughter to grow up knowing herself, her own desires and experiencing a secure identity rather than the foreboding that the only way she could ever succeed in life was to be a doctor. “Yeah. . .” I said, trying to sound healthy and wise. Pause. “But I also want my kids to be smart.” She laughed because she knew. She knew academic achievement was the #1 god in... Read more
I am ridiculously proud of myself for finishing The Art of Fielding. It’s an enormous novel, and not in a metaphysical/philosophical sort of way. It’s a big, heavy (500+ pages) book about baseball. I was not in an enormous novel/significant investment/let’s talk sports kind of reading place when an author friend suggested I pick it up. “Everyone on Twitter is reading it this week,” she said. Strangely, that motivated me. I didn’t even know who “everyone” was, but I’m a team... Read more
What She Said
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