I cross the pot-holed parking lot wearing my N95 mask on a sunny suburban afternoon. My destination: a popup vaccination clinic at a shopping mall. The online confirmation instructions: Enter through the cinema doors, next to the chain restaurant sign. A “By Appointment Only” banner rustles in the breeze. A few people exit beneath it,…
“So, how’s the writing going?” my friend asked over lunch. “I’m working on my novel,” I sighed. “More like getting back to it, I guess. I’m about 2/3rds there. I hit a rough patch but just need to get back to it.” My voice lacked the enthusiasm you might expect from someone whose work, as…
Thanksgiving Shopping List: Turkey Dinner Rolls Potatoes Green beans Pears Pears? Not on my list this year, but they might be on Jeannie Gaffigan’s, as she gathers round the table with husband Jim, their 5 children, and the family and funny people who helped her heal. In 2017, Jeannie’s doctors discovered a pear-shaped tumor in…
Regrets can play in my mind like a “previously on…” TV series montage. Each past scene that flashes by hits me with a pang of regret and a wish for a do-over. The other day I hit pause on a moment from 30 years ago and settled in. As the regret came, so did this…
We love lyrics in our house. Over Saturday breakfast, my husband Steve puzzled over Toto’s “Africa” — especially the wild dogs’ “solitary company.” Steve can spot a contradiction a mile away. We mused about the oxymoron, and came up with this: The wild dogs cry out in the night, as they grow restless, longing for…
Tommy Pham embodies grit, talent, determination, and dedication to his craft. I’m a #PhamFan since he played for the Cardinals. I follow him now for inspiration — like this — to lift me when I’m discouraged. What works for me is his affirmation of the absolutely essential role of believing in yourself when pursuing a…
The holiday season conjures up expectations, then holds up a stark mirror, revealing how our reality meets these expectations, and how it falls short.
Talented people have every right to be proud of the beauty they create. What´s important to remember is that the beauty created is bigger than the creator itself. (After all, there is a bigger Creator!) So what does Mary have to do with it?
A Haven-prompted playlist Laura Munson, Queen of Haven Writing Retreats, asked me to create a playlist for writers. I’ve trekked to Montana three times for Laura’s writing retreat/workshop, and each experience transformed my writer self, and we got a song out of it, too! This playlist is a hodgepodge of Laura’s Haven favs, songs from…
This song was the soundtrack to a scene I recently described as one of God’s kaleidoscope moments—when God takes various little pieces of our lives and brings them together in a beautiful way.