It’s the dirt and saw dust and chainsaw bar oil on my daddy’s clothes and hands and face every night when he came home from work. It’s the way my husband’s kisses taste of sweat and soil, the way his laundry has the lingering traces of manure and mud. It’s the way my brother works…
“Delight yourself in the Lord…” “His delight is in the law of the Lord…” “Delight yourself in the wife of your youth…” “As a father delights to give good gifts to his children…” When I think of the word “delight”, a whole list of Bible verses comes to mind. And each time, the word is…
Dear Ru and Mary, We hesitated, at least momentarily, to take you to a ballet. Somehow we knew it would mean endless twirling around the house and the necessary creation of tutus. And of course, I recalled my childhood fascination with ballet and my fruitless attempt at taking lessons (your mother isn’t coordinated—one week at…
Amy Parker is back with another in the “A Time to Pray” series: An “I Love You” Prayer. The huggable illustrations in this heart-shaped board book are by Frank Endersby. And it’s all just like a Valentine, in a bright and shiny book for little ones! Before it had been in our house a day,…
Dearest, A few moments of reflection, and I’m right back there…six years ago. Valentine’s Day landed on a Tuesday then, too. And I’d just finally—on February 9, to be exact—used my free ticket voucher to get a ticket to come see you. I was arriving the day before Valentine’s Day. And we were both learning…
It’s hard to be anything but real when we have people over for dinner. They might arrive just moments after I’ve finished vacuuming the momentarily neat floor. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be strewn with toys before they leave. They see that our children don’t always eat their dinner nicely or politely—or at all. …
I fail Him so often. The hasty word. The thoughts that only He Who made me hears. The pride and the impatience and the list goes on. And yet, in His tender grace, He is so quick to forgive me when I come to Him yet again. I don’t love him as I should….
It’s been a delicious month for books… My husband surprised me with one of the first of my friend Lanier’s Low Door Press editions of Kilmeny of the Orchard for Christmas… He’s reading it aloud to me so we can enjoy it together. (I can’t believe I’d never even heard of this L.M.M. book until…
The dream is always vivid. Oh no, I’m such a bad friend—I haven’t written or called Merritt in forever! And it’s always the same. Except for last night. I haven’t heard from him in forever. Should I write or call? No, that would be assuming too much. I’ll text Marlys instead and maybe she’ll let…
I love it when it’s cold enough outside that I can cook on my woodstove inside… The chickens are laying well these days, so eggs foo yung is a frequent dish—combined with egg rolls and fried rice and egg flour soup, of course.
I started out last year with grand plans to keep track of every cent we spent. I kept every receipt and faithfully separated out items and figured totals in each budget category in Microsoft Money all the way through…March. By the time December rolled around, I was just about to throw away my overflowing folder…
In the din of the day, the children, the dishes—sometimes I almost miss it. His gentle roar. But then, in the faces of my children, I catch a glimpse of it. His slightly reproachful face. And when the quiet hours finally come at the end of the day, I can feel it. His claws, scratching…
The End.
The End.
