We have lost many things in this pandemic. Some of them needed to go. Others tore out a portion of our peace in the leaving. Some of our assumptions are weakening; things like optimism for the future and a confidence that everything will return to normal. Other losses serve to grant us perspective and teach … Continue reading Tucking Ben In

Mother's Day and I have had a complicated relationship. I had a challenging relationship with my own mother, and did my best to bless and honor her no matter how I felt. I know the challenge of the card section in the drugstore, lingering long to find that one card that was kind, but not … Continue reading Mother’s Day

"When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body." (Mark 16:1)It was barely light when the women made their way down the dusty path to the place of the dead. They walked in the silence of shock and sorrow. … Continue reading Spices

I'm reading a book right now that captured my attention in the introduction. There were a few sentences, deep and true, that made me hunger for more. The more I read, though, the more I find a few great ideas and a lot of filler. Books, blog posts, lectures and sermons go this way often, … Continue reading Filler

"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord." You … Continue reading A Psalm for Covid (portions of Psalm 139)

My planner is empty. I bought it at the start of the year in an attempt to become more organized and purposeful with my days. Now it sits unused, this quarantine period having erased weddings, meetings and get-togethers. Am I, too, sitting empty in this waiting time? It is easy to let the hours and … Continue reading Plans

It has been more than a month now that we have been sequestered at home, allowed to leave only for necessities. In the beginning we were upbeat, willing participants in the noble goal of protecting the vulnerable. Our town and many others joined together to support and help each other through this terrible time. Masks … Continue reading Quarantine

The lake ice is melting, shifting colors from white to gray. Ducks arrow down to splash around its edges. By the house, a few green things push tips up through the thawing soil. At this time when most of the world is on lockdown, spring comes out from under the winter snow. Even as we … Continue reading Resurrection

I remember the scent of the mountains in summer, of pine and cedar, of pressing my nose into the bark of a Ponderosa pine for a whiff of vanilla; of the sharp scent of sage after a summer storm. Here by the lake the air is cold and clear, but later there will be the … Continue reading Inhale