The words stop me when I come across them, … “the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people…” They make me pause and close my eyes. I relate so well to such a paradox of emotions. I understand joy dwelling with heartbreak […]
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If you are a fan of home improvement networks like I am, you are well acquainted with the satisfaction some people get from Demolition Day. It’s like party time. However, although I enjoy those shows, I much prefer to watch the process on a screen from my couch, than to experience it. If you […]
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“Who do you want to be when you grow up?” I used to ask our kids. I liked to hear all the ideas. Their aspirations swung wildly. Everything had its season, from astronaut on Mars, to archeologist digging up dinosaurs. Who do you want to be when you grow up? Oh, so you think […]
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A much younger me studied the face that stared back from the mirror. Outside of the bathroom, where I’d taken refuge, a squalling hurricane had erupted. My toddler daughter banged her fist on the door and screamed in an epic meltdown. And with a deep breath, I looked into my own troubled eyes. “Who […]
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Long before America created an overflowing and beautifully sophisticated Thanksgiving table, thanksgiving was a thing. Before pilgrims gathered around a rough wood hewn table, or a sweet row of little hands clasped in prayer at my own table, thanksgiving was a thing. The Israelites in the wilderness didn’t do so well with the concept of […]
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When one of our daughters was in second grade, her school teacher mentioned an issue that she’d observed. Our daughter had begun to limp. She complained about her leg hurting, especially at night. She was going through a growth spurt like many children tend to do, with every hem of her clothing attesting to that […]
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“How old are you?” my grandson asks again. It’s a regular question which I try to regularly dodge. “How old do you think I am?” I ask back. His little forehead wrinkles as his eyebrows draw together in concentration. His blue eyes size me up top to bottom and then bottom to top. “Ninety?” he […]
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Calling all wise guys. Only what if they aren’t? Remember that old advertisement, “let your fingers do the walking?” It promoted a thing once upon a time called the yellow pages, which was a companion piece to the telephone book, which sat beside a thing that dialed. I don’t know about yours, but my […]
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In the shadows of the farmhouse where I grew up, monsters dwelt. They hid in the barn after dark, in the upstairs midnight hallways, and most certainly underneath my bed. Big, hairy, but unreal, they prickled my skin, chased my feet, and mademy heart gallop. For a little girl sleeping alone with a mammoth imagination, […]
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When the sun streams into my kitchen window, it cheers my soul. Everything literally seems brighter. Its brilliance however, illuminates more than just the room. Particles of dust flicker through its rays, grandchildren’s sticky handprints on the window pane bother me, and tiny bits of red dirt speckle the floor. When the light shines into […]
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