Dick grew up as an only child of an older couple. His parents were not bad people, but neither of them knew a thing about raising children. They both came from abusive families and never intended to have a child, both fearful about the possibility of repeating their own childhood. Once they found had a …
Those of us who were alive (and old enough to be aware) when John Kennedy was elected President, were born into a pre-space flight world. Space flight was one of Kennedy’s agendas as the nation’s executive, and his youth, verve, and drive were part of what fueled us and propelled us to the moon and …
In light of the events of the past week (month, year, decade, century), I find myself trying to balance between a self-protective human instinct and a deeply held higher value. It is, perhaps, natural to barricade ourselves and our children in the safest place we can find, close our eyes, put our fingers in our …
On New Year’s Eve 1972, I stood under the Arc de Triomphe near France’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and looked down the Champs Elysees in breathless wonder. I was alone in a city meant for lovers, but all I was aware of (besides the cold) was the light. Every tree along the Champs Elysees …
I didn’t write a blog for 5 August when we were traveling; this is for both weeks. (I don’t want you to think you missed anything.) Last Wednesday, my husband and I returned to our home in Denver almost four months to the day after we left for his sabbatical. The same wonderful friend who …
On 22 May, my husband and I said good-bye to our temporary home in Tramore and drove to Dublin, where we spent the night before taking the hovercraft to Wales the following day. We dropped our bags at the B and B and walked into the city center because May 22 also happened to be …
Please see the note about my Etsy shop at the conclusion of this blog. Although my entire vocation as an adult has been rooted in a geography of faith, I am not a religious scholar by any stretch of the imagination. I cannot speak with more than superficial knowledge about Islam, much less the finely …
No season is one flavor through and through. Every season partakes of the whole of life, from seed-birth through leaf and blossom and fruit, to ripening and harvest and death. I met Lori Rosenkvist when I was asked to work on a project for Logos Productions over 20 years ago. At the time she was …
As we get closer to the actual possibility of planting seeds that will germinate and produce grain and fruit, I have been pondering the reality that we rarely grow anything alone. Life (both inward and outward) is quite literally co-operation, a collaboration that stretches back through generations of DNA and natural selection and family …
It is Valentine’s Day and I am half a continent away from my beloved spouse. I am spending the week with my father and sister – both of whom I also love dearly – preparing my father’s possessions for his move in the early part of March to his new home. Everything to do with …