On the farm, after dark meant black. Light shone from a tall pole smack in the middle of the yard. A sphere of brightness left edges beyond with shadows that bent and swayed. The big grey barn sat yards beyond the yellow circle. Eyes on the front porch, I measured the distance by gulps of […]
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I am not a good rememberer, and it has much less to do with my age than with my desire. My husband loves to remember. He enjoys thinking about the past, pouring over pictures from years gone by, and telling stories of long ago. He is energized by it. I am saddened by it. I […]
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Jesus’ admonishment to the disciples in the garden of Gethsemane is intriguing. “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14: 38) NKJV I have always felt just a tiny bit sorry for the disciples. They fell asleep. They simply couldn’t stay awake. It […]
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Living in the Projects The upstairs of our house is down to its studs. A major project is underway. Between now and the vision of a new bathroom and bedroom is a gorge of unimaginable proportions. New inlaid pipes leak like a tin can shot full of holes. We turn the water off, and we […]
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There’s a whisper in my ear. “I can’t do this,” it says. I’ve heard that voice all my life. Sometimes it speaks softly, sometimes it hisses, and sometimes it shouts. In the first days of our daughter’s catastrophic illness while I walked the marble halls of the hospital the words resounded with each step; a […]
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My husband grew up the pale-skinned blond boy in a black and white background of Ecuador. A child of missionaries, he biked deserted dirt roads, rode in airplanes and ate iguana. Immune to the exceptional, he grew up in view of Chimborazo with its peak covered by thin white icing. Missions chose him. I grew […]
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I’m hacking into the New Year. Struck down on Christmas Day with a cold and fever, and pushing through the fog ever since. From my sick bed, I watch the New Year roll into New York City. My fever doesn’t help with clarity, but I’ve never had a lot when it comes to bringing in […]
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On November 26 our twelfth grandchild entered the world. It occurred, appropriately, just hours before Thanksgiving. Our son sent a picture of our brand new grandson cradled in his arms minutes after the birth. The baby’s eyes and his daddy’s eyes gazed into one another. There is something soul-searching in that picture; the new father […]
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Thanksgiving tangled with unanswered prayers. I slumped against the antiseptic tiled hallway. My stalwart, “Hang on and hold it in,” gave way to unrestrained tears like prisoners let free. Crystal rivulets dropped to the floor at my feet. Each time I exited my daughter’s hospital room at Mayo clinic my stiff control burst like a […]
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It is root canal morning. I hate root canals. I’ve got teeth that crumble like coffee cake, fortunately, my dentist is pretty good. I climb into the dental chair and the hygienist reclines it. I try to relax, and I rate. I do this a lot in my mind. I’m pretty sure it isn’t normal. Would […]
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