I grew up a log loader operator’s daughter. He grew up a builder’s son. I grew up reading Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel at my grandma’s. He grew up reading The Little House: Her Story every time he visited his next-door neighbors. When we were book shopping as newlyweds, he spotted The Little House. …
When I look in my mirror, I see a momma tired, eyes on the verge of overflowing with tears of exhaustion. When I look in my mirror, I see hair that’s not as curly as it used to be. when I look in my mirror, I see a face and figure swelled many times its…
Sometimes I feel like I’m missing the Reason for life. Every single day. In my parenting, it’s my inability to find “answers”. In my marriage, it’s seeing my sinful self. The day to day stress of life gets my eyes off the cross—when it should make me run to it! The only time I am…
When I was younger, my friends were the people I talked to all the time. On the phone, in person, via hand-written letters or super-long emails. Sharing my most sacred thoughts and deepest secrets. When I was younger, my friends and I had lots of time—time for making new friends, for staying in touch with…
Just five minutes, I thought. If I could just have five minutes of quiet, all to myself—to be still, to read, to think, to write. Just five minutes. I might feel sane again. I might be able to hear myself think for the five minutes thereafter. I might be able to function. But with two…
Dearest Love, You talked to me when I was your sisters’ friend. You treated me normally when we were in those awkward early years of adolescence. You teased me just like you teased your sisters so I could be myself. You were a friend to me when I was a silly, frumpy, opinionated teenager. You…
I let the fire go out this morning. Again. I’ve been doing it this whole past month. Even as I tell my shivering husband that I have yet to be warm all the time from being pregnant this time. He laughs. As he will laugh again when he comes home and I tell him. No…
“Be not afraid.” It wasn’t the first time I’d played Mary and heard those words from the lips of the angel with a baptismal robe and cardboard wings. (One time, I’d even played the angel.) But it was the first time I’d acted the part since joining the drama troupe, since learning there was more…
She was born 9 and a half months after I was. Her dad was my mom’s older and only sibling. We were cousins. But far from two peas in a pod. She was mistaken for an Indian papoose, I looked like Anne Shirley. She was quiet, I was talkative. But we both liked cats. And…
Dear Ruth Ann, It was Sunday after church. We stopped at the gas station. You just had to go use the little girl’s room, despite the fact that we’d be home soon. We stumbled back out through the doors of the gas station—tired girls, you and me, ready for our Sunday afternoon nap. Our carriage…
Dear Ruth Ann, On Saturday, you went to your very first parade. You were in awe of the fire trucks and sirens. You adored the little cars. You were mesmerized by the horses. But what made your day was the red “babboon.” You’ve been talking for months about how you wanted a balloon for your…
The End.
The End.