Words For A Generation: Be, Listen and Tell
Have you heard the story about the well-heeled Italian soldier who went AWOL while heading off to war? It seems that on the path to battle, young Frank had a "vision" and was moved to return to his hometown. On the way, he ran into a bunch of beggars and decided to join their ranks. After hanging out with them for awhile on the streets of a...
The Croaking of Frogs and God’s Mandate to Tend the Garden
Bull frogs greet me as I stroll past the pond on my way to the cabin. Glub. Glub. They WILL be heard. Song birds and fat buzzing bumblebees compete with the frogs. I sit on the cabin porch at the edge of the pond and take it all in. It is quiet, but oh, so noisy on this spring evening. Each and every spring, I marvel at the gift of NEW. As...
Getting Out of My Literary Rut and Sharing Some Thoughts on Writing
It's good to stretch yourself, to get outside your comfort zone, think outside the box. That includes picking up a book that wouldn't necessarily be in your "wheelhouse" -- especially when there's already a stack of favorites waiting to be read. Such was the case when I checked out a copy of the Young Adult novel "Bright Young Things." I never...
When It’s Time To Close the Door: Five Minute Friday
My first thoughts on this first day of May were about the newness of this season. As I looked out my bedroom window at the green grass, sunshine, budding trees, I thought "fresh starts". Oh, how I love them. Do-overs, new days, new seasons. Open doors. But the thing about open doors is that to enter them, we must leave something behind. Close...
Stuff That Matters: A Bedroom Makeover and an Outing with Dad
The bedroom makeover project that I expected would take a week -- maybe two at the most -- is stretching into its third week. We live in a 140-year-old house with plaster walls and crooked floors so this was no small project. But the end is in sight. Life has been happening in and around the spackling, sanding and painting which means we've...
Boomer Generation Still Has Plenty To Say
Our days are numbered. We Baby Boomers (my tribe) have been the nation's largest living generation since the boom ended around 1964. However, the U.S. Census Bureau projected in January that Millennials (ages 18-34) will pass us in 2015. Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964 (now ages 51-69). There will be an estimated 74.9 million Boomers...
If You Have a Perfect Plan, Lord, Don’t Let Me Sabotage It
I'm a planner. Always have been, probably always will be. The first-born of five children, growing up I was the self-appointed boss of my little kingdom. On those long summer vacations, I would plan out daily activities -- not only for myself but for my younger siblings. In the morning, there would be time for reading and maybe some exploring...
I Turned My Face Toward Him and It Was Good
There was nothing "good" about it. Nothing to make me say "yes, I want to do this again." Until it was over and we walked into the late evening sunshine, silent, blinking away the dark of the tomb, walking toward what we knew would come. Toward the promise of Sunday. That Good Friday when we sat in the depths of the towering Catholic church in...
Maybe It’s Not About Cake; Maybe It’s About Fear
To my gay and lesbian friends and those who support their freedom to choose who they love. And to my conservative family and friends who believe they have a right to choose how to live out their religious beliefs: Take a deep breath and look around you. There is a lot of pain in the world today. Pain and persecution and bigotry and conflict...
How I Found My Tribe and a Book Give-away
Nobody operates in a vacuum. Whatever you do in life, you probably have fellow travelers who share your passion -- whether it's cooking, parenting, building houses or writing. I have friends and acquaintances in all walks of life, but fellow writers are my "people". I'm writing today for the blog at Breathe Christian Writers' Conference about...
