I read a book last year in which the author suggested that every morning you should clean your bathroom sink. This was supposed to be a bit of a self-care magic trick; a simple act to reorient oneself and begin the day with one cleared surface. She even suggested that her readers ought to buy … Continue reading The Humble Grace of a Cleared Surface
I’ve been thinking lately about ditching social media. Like, maybe all together. Maybe even – for good. It’s been a long and winding road for me with digital communications. Here’s my story. I was an early adopter to the blog movement. I have my friend and former youth pastor, Brent, to thank for this. I … Continue reading In Praise of Real Life
Henry Ossawa Tanner, "The Annunciation," 1898 At the first part of the year, I started praying in a new way with a friend. We had been meeting regularly on Wednesday mornings to walk at various nature parks in the Quad Cities and our conversations often migrated to matters of faith. I knew she prayed using … Continue reading May it Be So
Self-portrait of Allie Brosh, as depicted by the artist in her book Hyperbole and a Half This morning I returned from a 3-mile run with a friend and John wondered if I might make us some eggs. (Usually this is his job!) I agreed, since he had to record some lectures. As I thought about … Continue reading All the Things
Years ago, I was battling insomnia and decided to google Kyrie Eleison and listen to everything that came up in my search. (Y’all do this kind of stuff when you can’t sleep, right?) Anyway, one of the versions was by Sinead O’Connor and had Rastafarian accompaniment. I liked it so much I bought the whole … Continue reading The Healing Room
The other day I woke up with the weirdest mashup in my head – T.I. and the Psalms. Randomly, I began singing the song in my head: You Can Have Whatever You Like. As quickly as it arrived in my brain, I began to laugh. Then I wondered, is that what the Psalmist meant when … Continue reading Whatever You Like
Last night I was tired, so very tired. And then, just as I dozed off, it’s like I manifested a quad shot Americano out of thin air. My body buzzed and my mind raced as I tossed and turned, like pages in a book, regurgitating my anxious thoughts. In an act of defiance, I decided … Continue reading The Art of Losing
When we were in Texas last weekend, a bunch of us ended up in a transportation situation where we wouldn’t all fit in one vehicle. While the others drove to their destination, my sister Anna and I wandered around downtown Grapevine for a bit, seeking the reprieve of full blast A.C. in cafes and shops … Continue reading Stirred for a Bird
"Mary Magdalene Discovering the Empty Tomb" ~ Herschel Pollard Years ago, I read a popular book by an impressive female executive in the tech industry. I’m talking about Sheryl Sandberg’s bestseller Lean In. The book was a source of encouragement to young women in the workforce to sit at the table – meaning, join the … Continue reading Sneak In
Truth be told, I’ve been thinking about a second tattoo for quite some time now. I got my first when I was eighteen, shortly after I moved out of my parents’ basement and into a crappy basement apartment with roommates. That was half my life ago. But yesterday, the day after I turned forty, I … Continue reading My Second Tattoo
