For You!
Flying Time
I know they say “time flies,” but lately it feels like time has no idea how to move. Time’s all confused!
For most of the past year, time has been slow. So slow! One perpetual day, going around and around, waiting for the world to open back up again. And then, as if it wasn’t confusing enough trying to learn how to behave in this newly re-opening world, time decided to fly again. No more strolling time, no more take your time, time. Fast forward, warp-speed flying time! For goodness sake, I don’t even know what day it is. Scratch that. Is it June?
Side Effects
It can be a strange thing coming out of a hard time. You can see that the storm has passed. You can feel peace slowly make its way into your heart. You can hear your thoughts telling you it’s okay to exhale. But you suddenly feel terrible. All of the holding on, the demanding work, the head down “I can do this” comes barreling in and something inside you let’s go of survival mode and you stand face to face with the hard stuff.
2021, Grace & Return of the Malpeds
They say to write what you know. And I guess that’s a great idea…if you know what you know. In my case, I wrote Return of the Malpeds by creating a world and letting the characters romp around in it. What happened next, I suppose, was that those characters in return showed me some of what I “know” (although using the word know feels a bit lofty...perhaps it’s better to say what I’m learning…because what is life if not a work in progress!?).
Those tiny, furry Trebors did it again, they lived what I’m learning. They went running around the Land of Bori and in the process reminded me that coming together, being part of families and communities, isn’t always easy.
Grace Over Perfection
It’s well below freezing. I have on thermal pants, two sweaters, a down jacket, a wool hat, multiple pairs of socks, and ski gloves…oh yes…and a blanket. I’m sitting on my front porch watching my friend wriggle herself into the other Adirondack chair. Her wine is balanced carefully in her mittened hands as she shifts to pull her blanket in tightly to keep out the frost filled breeze. It has been months since we have had the chance to sit just the two of us. Life has been hard, unexpected and exhausting.
It might be 2021 (goodbye 2020), but we are still sitting in the cold outside, making lemonade out of lemons.
Clamor for More
I love Christmas. All of it. I love finding the biggest tree we can at the tree farm, cutting it down and lugging it home. I love cheesy songs, peppermint flavored things, dogs in Christmas collars, twinkle lights, and Christmas pageants. I’ll admit though, I love it to the point where I often end up limping into the new year. I try too hard, I run too quickly, and I attempt to control way too much.
And so, each year I take another step towards letting go of control and leaning in to the wonder before me instead.
Upside Down Holidays & The Noises of my Home
I’ve been staring at my screen for a while now, wondering what to say and wanting so desperately to be plunged into the blissful feeling of busy typing fingers and flowing thoughts.
But instead, I’ve been sitting here wondering if quarantine has finally sapped all useful thoughts from my brain. I am so distracted, so very distracted…
Chocolate Chips
I was standing at my kitchen counter shoving a few chocolate chips into my mouth (and by a few I really mean a complete fist full) while contemplating if I was going to honestly track them in my Weight Watchers app when it occurred to me that chocolate wasn’t the only thing I’ve been consuming numbingly lately.
Light Breaks Through
Tropical Storm Isaias blew up the east coast a few weeks ago and brought with it an astonishing path of damage that left almost 100% of the homes in my town without power, cellular service, and WIFI. For perspective…the National Guard rolled into town to clear roads, move trees, and make sure we restored power and connectivity. It was a scene, to say the least.
A Royal Affair
Over the past many months, we have become acutely grateful for the essential workers in our communities. The people who have literally been the glue to keep our communities going. But it was in this moment, that I was reminded of the life work that goes on behind the scenes for all of us. The essential work that George does every day is not just about the mail, but about how he weaves people together throughout that neighborhood by creating a sense of belonging to each other.
Writing The Trebors
I am so excited to share THE TREBORS (Trebor Tales, Book 1) with everyone! To think that children, and those who are young at heart, will be able to follow the adventures of the Trebors and the mysterious world they leave in, makes me feel overwhelmed with gratitude. My most sincere hope is that they leave their visits to the lands of Bori with their imaginations running wild, their thirst for reading ignited, and their hearts and minds stirred with new ideas and thoughts to explore.
Hey Moms- Keep Going!
This one goes out to all those moms out there trying to wade through these strange times with our children. I just wanted to say that I see you, I hear you, I am you, and it got me thinking…
This Little Light of Mine
I’ve been at home with my girls and my husband for almost a week now. During this time, I have sat down at my desk again and again to write, to say something, to be an encouragement, and each time the cursor blinks and nothing happens. What can I actually do that’s of help right now? What can I possibly say? Who am I to add my voice into the mix? I’ll let those with more experience and larger outlets do it. They’ve got it.
The Dog Might Just Be Houdini
I was recently scrolling through my Facebook feed and stopped when I came across a new post featuring an enormous, fluffy dog (because who doesn’t stop to look at dog pics online!?). A friend had posted the photo of this magnificent creature wandering the neighborhood solo style and was hoping to find its owner. The post blew up with information, and in short order, the dog had been returned to its owner.
Pajama Day
This one goes out to all you super busy parents out there. The moms and dads running in all directions, trying to get it all done, falling into bed at night, and then starting all over again the next day. For you...and all of those needing a pause…I share a story.
Love Wins
The world is a changed place because Martin Luther King Jr. chose to listen to the truths that God placed on his heart and answer the call to lead with love. Today, we not only celebrate the accomplishments and legacy of this great man, but we have the opportunity to reflect on what we can learn from the life of someone so committed to justice, equality, grace, and love. For me, it is a reminder that each of us has a vital role to play in the lives of those around us, and that if we lead with love, we can break down barriers and build-up relationships that transform our personal lives and the communities around us.
A New Year’s Twist
In the blink of an eye, the holidays are done. Just like that, we are in a new year and it’s time to toss out the old and bring in the new. Resolutions are kicked into high gear and the gyms are more packed than they have been since, well, this time last year.
Donkeys, Angels & A Lotta Love
This time of year is often filled with crazy expectations that leave us disappointed or exhausted. Expectations that come from way too many shiny TV commercials and holiday specials, and way too many ideas that we put on ourselves about how perfect things ought to turn out. I don’t know about you, but I have yet to accomplish this level of holiday bliss and, in fact, I’ve found that many of the best moments come out the messes I didn’t expect.
Thanksgiving
As we rush around sticking turkeys in ovens, deep fryers, grills, and green eggs, I thought I would drop a note to remind us all to take a moment to reflect on what we are truly thankful for. In the quiet space of your own heart, fill up with the gift of gratitude and the peace of a God that loves you endlessly.
Letting Go
It’s the time of year here in New England when the spectacular colors of fall slowly give way to the more subdued palette of winter. The time when giant piles of discarded leaves are raked up and stuffed into garbage bags. And the time of year when once again I wonder why that one tree in my yard just won’t let go of its leaves. This tree stubbornly holds onto just enough leaves to make us have to rake again in December. I just want to yell at it…. let go enough already…what are you holding on for you… just get on with it! (For the record, I don’t actually talk to my tree as I don’t want to be the neighborhood nut… but it is tempting!)
Taking Off the Mask
It turns out that Halloween has an expiration date of sorts. When your kids are little, it’s all…go, go go….town parades, school plays, parties, and the hero of it all, trick or treating. As a parent, you brace yourself for the torrent of emotions that come when you swipe half of the candy because no child needs to eat their weight in whoopers, you prepare the back-up hat for when your five-year-old loses theirs after the first long, dark driveway, but no one tells you that you have to prepare for the reality that, all of sudden, Halloween stops.