Success

I sent a text to my oldest kids tonight, with a quote from one of my favorite authors. The writings of Richard Rohr have profoundly influenced my continued growth as I seek to understand and appreciate the intersection of people and faith. So I sent the kids a Rohr quote, something that popped up on …

All These People

I am sitting in Foxy Loxy, a house-turned coffee shop, just a few steps from my daughter's apartment in Savannah. It's a cool, rainy day. I've snagged a table on the enclosed porch. Wooden shutters wrap around me at eye level, and the glow of the apple icon on the computers around me are the …

Mother’s Day 2012

 This was an unusual Mother's Day; the first time in memory without all five kids.As my kids grow up and move on, I'm thinking more about how my identity has been forged in my responsibilities to and for them. Being the mother of Sarah-Shannon-Sydni-Daniel-David has been my life for over 20 years. It remains so, …

Johnstown

The view over my shoulder....Sitting at a Starbucks in Johnstown, PA. Killing time, waiting for a wedding rehearsal to begin.The clientele here is so different. It's fascinating, to consider the common denominator of a Starbucks; pretty much the same experience, wherever you are in America. Same products, same vibe. Same intentions.But sitting here in Johnstown, …

Weighted

I have never been in a season of life in which there was so much sorrow. So much sickness. So much heaviness of life.Thursday night at a vocal ensemble rehearsal, someone mentioned that it's just that the church is big, my circle is bigger, there's more information floating around. I think there's some truth to …

What Comes Next

I'm considering furthering my education. Just starting to think about it......I think I want a seminary degree. I want to study the Bible, seriously. But I don't want to go to some rubber stamp let's-make-a-minister joint. It's tough to decide which direction to go.Or maybe I could learn some new technology. Study graphic arts, seriously. …

Tangible Proof

I'm making some progress....it's been a productive day.I cleaned toilets - a lot of little tiny toilets, which get just as dirty as big toilets. I found myself wondering why toilets are designed with those swirly parts on the sides that make it so difficult to clean close to the floor. And why is it …

If He Hangs His Guitar In Your Room, It’s A Done Deal

I've been married for two months now; we celebrated our anniversary last night with dinner at Five Guys (fun and YUM and who in the WORLD can eat that many fries, anyway?) and a trip to the Apple Store (just looking....)At our age, we've decided to maximize our time and celebrate every month. And thus …

You Know You’ve Had A Tough Week When…

I'm folding laundry, watching old episodes of The Office on Hulu, and bawling like a baby.Quite irrationally.EDIT: THREE HOURS LATER, THE TEARS TURNED INTO THOSE NASTY, CAN'T-CATCH-MY-BREATH, GUT-WRENCHING SOBS. YOU KNOW THE KIND - AN UGLY CRY. BUT HAVE NO FEAR - MY HERO SOON APPEARED, WITH THE FOLLOWING IN HAND:A SHOULDER (FOR CRYING)A DOZEN …

The Vastness of Everything

"God found great pleasure to take a lowly thing in the eyes of the world and show truth."There are so many things in this world that do not make sense. At least from our perspective. But most of the time our perspective is all we've got. It takes some effort to see things from a …