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.
Flying South
Have you ever watched a group of geese fly south? Or maybe they weren’t even flying south, because how they can they all be flying south when I see them hunkered down in the snow in mid-February?! Either way, they are heading somewhere else. I can remember learning in elementary school how they fly in a V formation, drafting off each other, taking turns from the back of the line to the front of the line to keep the group moving forward. I love the order and togetherness of the whole thing. I love the idea that they work as a single unit to get where they are going. Ohhhh the life lessons we could learn from watching a skein of geese fly above.
A New Pair of Glasses
“Sometimes heaven is a new pair of glasses.” Ed Dowling.
Do you ever wonder what the world would look like if we saw everything through a new pair of glasses? What would it look like if instead of looking at the world through our human eyes, we looked at it with our heart, with the soul that lives in us?
Wind
It’s fall! I have been enjoying everyone’s posts talking about the season ahead, the sweaters, apples, cider donuts and the ever-popular pumpkin spice latte (note to self…I need to try said latte…as it seems to hit almost everyone’s top fall list…how have I managed to miss this apparently live changing experience!?). Transition days like this always make me seek a moment to reflect on what has been and set my eyes on where I am and where I’m going. It isn’t just New Year’s Eve where new habits and intentions can be planned, where mind shifts can be focused on …. why not today too?