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? There was once a peasant girl bearing the most common of names, going about her ordinary day—who was seen. Noticed. … Continue reading Another Ordinary, Holy Day
Significance
Ben Carried the Banner
It was Tall Timber Days in our town here in the Minnesota northwoods, and we had a parade. For two miles, from the fairgrounds and through the old downtown, floats and fire engines, vintage cars and civic groups walked and marched and danced and drove past sidewalks lined with old people in chairs and younger … Continue reading Ben Carried the Banner
A Gift Continually Unfolding
Every mother has been entrusted with a wonder. A mystery. A gift continually unfolding. Who will she be? you wonder, as she squirms and kicks inside you. Then you meet, and fall in love. Who will he be? you wonder, as his little personality begins to show itself, meek and easily contented, or fiery and … Continue reading A Gift Continually Unfolding
The Middle of Somewhere
I live in the Middle of Nowhere. Well, kind of—depending on where you're from, I guess. I live in the land of lakes and forests on the far northern edge of America, far from everything that makes the nightly news. Our newspaper is filled with high school sports and fishing reports rather than shootings and … Continue reading The Middle of Somewhere
Sorting the Silver
When I was a teenager I worked at a local camp, running the snack bar and helping in the kitchen. One of the tasks was drying and sorting the silverware. After a large tray of knives, forks and spoons came out of the industrial dishwasher it was dumped onto a counter lined with towels, where … Continue reading Sorting the Silver
A Mother to Me, Too
[Apostle Paul, c. 1633, Rembrandt, oil on canvas, Kunsthistorisches Museum [Public domain] / Wikimedia] “You're Bill’s wife!” she exclaimed, holding out her hand. “And what do you do?” “I stay home,” I replied, mentally kicking myself for feeling foolish. “That’s the hardest work of all!” she chirped, scanning the room for someone more interesting. “I'm … Continue reading A Mother to Me, Too
The Ones Who Cook
If you ranked all the gifts that the Holy Spirit distributes to His people, which ones would come out on top? If you listed all the people serving in your church, who do you admire most? If you could have any skill or talent to leverage for blessing others, what would you choose? We admire … Continue reading The Ones Who Cook
The Audacity of Disability
My son Ben holds tightly to the tissue-paper torch at his Special Olympics meet. He should be settled in a career by now, I think, raising a family and making his mark on the world. But instead he clutches this small honor like it is the real Olympic torch, eyes bright with the seriousness of … Continue reading The Audacity of Disability
The Assignment I Wasn’t Expecting
My son Ben leans up against me for his morning hug and kiss. He needs my affection, this simple morning routine, to start his day; to confirm the goodness of his existence and the security of my love. He is needy, always. Pleading for peanut butter. For a tattoo. For Christmas. Calling to me from … Continue reading The Assignment I Wasn’t Expecting
Significance
When I started blogging, it quickly became apparent that I had no idea what I was doing, so I signed up for a writers’ conference in hopes of finding help and maybe making some like-minded friends. At the conference, I was told that the aim of all things is to write a book and win … Continue reading Significance
A View of the Lake 