We are over a month into spring here in northern Minnesota, but we are still wearing our woolen socks. We all know that the colors of life will eventually reveal themselves, but right now the earth is still hard and cold, the sky gray. It has been a long, cold, snowy winter, even by Minnesota … Continue reading When Winter Lingers
Faith
If Ben Had Been There
My son Ben has cognitive disabilities and very little language. But sometimes he intuitively understands what our “normal” intelligence blinds us to. Our Easter celebration last weekend got me thinking: If Ben had been at the tomb that first Easter morning, things might have gone down a little differently…. Early on the first day of … Continue reading If Ben Had Been There
I Remember
Music plays softly as I hold the little cup quietly in my lap. I cradle the cracker in my hands, praying. Then I taste, and I remember. I remember how He came for me when I wasn’t looking. How He opened my eyes to beauty and my heart to hope. I remember the first time … Continue reading I Remember
To Ben on World Down Syndrome Day
You came as a surprise; your life tenuous, your little body limp in my arms. We brought you home, numb and determined, the future unimagined. Your extended family welcomed you with a tenderness tempered by grief. Your church family, stunned, embraced you. You were changing us, even then. Making your mark on our world just … Continue reading To Ben on World Down Syndrome Day
As Long as It’s Healthy
“I just got the test results”, she leaned close as we waited in the school hallway. “I don’t care if it’s a girl or a boy, as long as it’s healthy.” My smile weakened, tears pressing as I looked for my child, the one who wasn’t born healthy, instead sporting extra chromosomes and their complications. … Continue reading As Long as It’s Healthy
Here We Are Again
It’s a disheartening deja vu: Another regime swooping in on a weaker country, wreaking death and destruction. We grieved over Afghanistan just six months ago. Now we weep with Ukraine. We who are citizens of the most powerful country on earth are caught helpless in front of our Twitter streams and news broadcasts. There is … Continue reading Here We Are Again
A Common Face
It happened again last week. This time it was an older gentleman at the doctor's office. "You look so familiar," he said, squinting his eyes and tipping his head slightly. From there the questions branched off into possible mutual friends, workplaces, or schools. This happens to me regularly. I look just like someone's sister-in-law /college … Continue reading A Common Face
Winter Light
The snow lies deep, unsettled against the sharp wind. Here in the north woods the winter sun falls cold between storms. The sun’s course lowers to a shallow arc, it’s apex briefly dividing morning from afternoon. Evenings bring long, golden fingers gradually giving way to dusky blue. The snow sparkles, each slight breeze smoothing the … Continue reading Winter Light
When the Soul Feels its Worth
Under snow-frosted trees, with visible breath I ask it. Perhaps you’ve asked it too. Rinsing the dish I’ve rinsed a thousand times before, I wonder. Maybe you’ve wondered too. Do I matter? Am I seen? A peasant girl bearing the most common of names, going about her most ordinary of days - she was seen. … Continue reading When the Soul Feels its Worth
The Voices Behind Us
“If that’s what Christianity is, I want no part of it” she said after news of yet another prominent preacher caught in sin. The reporters had gleefully announced the salacious details in the day’s news to my mother’s eager ears. I stood there, heart pounding, in the kitchen with her, and yet so very alone. … Continue reading The Voices Behind Us
A View of the Lake 