Waiting: Like It Or Not
If it’s the beginning of December, it must be Advent. And if it’s Advent, and you happen to be married to a bishop, you understand that it’s a time of preparation. (This reminds me of those delightful picture books, by…
Recovery Is Everywhere
Are you pulling yourself together after the midterms? Doing some bouncing back from any disappointing results, from the onslaught of ads over recent weeks, from fatigue at the whole business? If you’re moving on past something that caused some edginess…
This Time, I Went With Him
Is it possible to have a holiday do double duty — say, wholeheartedly embrace Indigenous People’s Day while not spurning absolutely everything related to Columbus Day; or perhaps ditching the Columbus (who never stepped foot in the US mainland) part…
Salt Water, Fresh Water: Have It Both Ways
As if it happens every year, the season’s turning again. The whirring fans many of us had going to help us sleep at night have quieted, and we’re beginning to reach for — gasp — light jackets. We’ve had some…
One Canterbury Tale
We’ve been back from England a week, and I still feel like one of those contraptions — a computer screen, mostly — that shows a spinning wheel and a message saying, “Still processing.” What a lot there was to take…
It Happens Every 10 Years, or Maybe 14
When you get an invitation of any kind, you need to decide whether to accept or to decline. Sometimes these decisions are easy — “Yipppee!” or “No way I’m going to that!” — and sometimes they’re not. Every summer stretching…
Empty Nesting: A Great Time for Exploring
The Fourth of July might also be known as Independence Day, but I’d call the one we just had something closer to Togetherness Day. Awwww, this is going to be sweet and maybe even a little schmaltzy, you’re predicting. And…
Watching Dad Feed the Horses
I’m giving this one over to Father’s Day. Most likely, you’ve been doing some reflecting on your dad today, too. As my husband Rob — father of our three kids and also sometimes called “Father” by members of his flock…
Joy and Devastation
Those of us who celebrated high school graduations and college and university commencements across the land last weekend never expected that we’d be doing so within the bookends of two horrific national tragedies. Our loved ones who earned diplomas, walked…
Comings and Goings
Even after 30 plus years of marriage, this is the kind of exchange that still happens in our household. I ask, “Is Easter over now or does it continue in some way?” (I had a feeling, partly based on the…