Last fall, I participated in a women's retreat at which Judy Nelson Lewis was the speaker. She led us through an exercise in writing a Beloved Charter -- a handful of sentences, adapted from Scripture, that remind you of your own belovedness in God's eyes. Since that time, I have read that charter over myself …
A Prayer for Mother’s Day
God, I praise You today for Your fierce, momma-bear love and protection. Thank You for Father-Mothering me with grace and truth and SO MUCH patience and perseverance. May we all draw comfort and strength from Your unshakable love and commitment to us, Your dear children. Thank You for so many women around me in whom …
Day 33: Mailbox
There are many things that come into focus as the dust of our overly busy culture settles in the midst of quarantining and “social distancing” -- one of those is that human beings are created to celebrate.
Day 32: Pen
The family happened to be all occupied. With what, I’m not sure, but it was calm and I decided to try slipping onto the porch without being missed. I grabbed a few quick supplies: drink, phone (always), book, and pencil and headed out to the swing camp chair. The pencil -- I’m pretty sure my …
It’s Bright
After coffee, the first order of business every day is to open all of the blinds. Most of our apartment's windows face East and overlook a large pond, giving us a lovely view of the sunrise. At that time, the pond is still -- save the occasional small gator enjoying the peaceful water. By 7:35am, …
Day 31: Dust
The whirring of the sound machine beckons me into my girls’ room. Their beds have already been abandoned, in favor of climbing up next to my husband or I as we sip coffee and read or journal. “It’s bright, Momma,” is Irene’s way of announcing a new day has begun and she is ready to …
Day 30: Bud
I have sometimes wondered Why the pet name for little boys is so often bud or buddy While little girls get one of a thousand iterations of loveliness, sweetness, beauty or preciousness. We want our sons to be kind and We want our daughters to be friends And still, when I see my friends’ boys, …
Vapor and Ashes
It’s as if we were living in a house and it burned to the ground. I’m not sure I ever stopped to make a list of what was left in the house, of what we lost. We moved into a new house, fully furnished -- it was easier just to pretend everything was normal,” I …
Day 29: Dinner
“I don’t like that,” she said as her eyes graze over the food, then turned straight back around to march out of the room. “I don’t need a treat,” she adds from her bedroom. My husband and I exchange looks of unsurprised displeasure tinged with resignation. Despite meals being the way we keep time during …
Day 28: text
The sense of wonder and expectation has been slowly growing in my gut as the weeks have passed. Maybe we’ll all look back at this time and begin to describe stages of grief in a global pandemic: from disbelief to shock to anger to action. Or, at least that’s been my privileged path to walk …
