Earlier this spring I sat on our screened-in porch and breathed deeply of the air. It was clean, crisp and clear – the way air often is after a spring thunderstorm. It was sweet, rich, full, encompassing. And it was familiar. As I breathed in I was transported back to my childhood, back to my … More The Power of Memories
I knew it was bad but I didn’t want to believe it was that bad. Yet deep down I suspected it was. I shoved the thought away with every uncharacteristic wobble, every meal skipped, every pound lost. In the end, it was shocking but not unexpected: our beloved dog Chewy had a tumor on his liver, … More Saying Goodbye
After we moved into our home here in NC we found ourselves in need of a new washer and dryer. This was not a surprise, as we had sold the set we used in Oklahoma to our landlord when we moved out. They were bought used (at a great price), and had served us … More Life, Laundry and the Love of Parents
As I made a 3-point turn to go back and check out the “House for rent” sign we just passed, my daughter literally shouted from the back seat “Oh my God, look at the trees!!!!” I smiled and saw where her eyes were gazing: a line of long leaf pines standing fifty-plus feet in the … More Place Matters
By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:19, ESV In what was already a busy week, Ash Wednesday came on like a banshee and was nearly gone without … More Dust and Ashes
“When you’re in your 20s, you think you’ve got all the time in the world. You get older, and you go through a quickening. Everything seems to get faster.” Colin Hay, singer/songwriter When I read this quote it stopped me in my tracks. Not because it was shocking or I hadn’t thought of it, but … More The Quickening
If you were to press rewind on my life and go back 30-some odd years, you’d hear me telling anyone who’d listen how Oklahoma was where I belonged, and how I couldn’t wait to move back once I finished high school. We had moved to NC from OK when I was 14, and I did … More Hiraeth
Sitting in our dark paneled living room (think: 1970’s plywood and not English Hunting Lodge), a room I’ve spent a lot of time in over the last 4 years, the corner to my right is calling for my attention. It’s been emptied of the desk and chair that normally fill it in order to make … More Moving Boxes
There are times I have to stop and think what year it is. Am I alone in this? 2021 has gone by so incredibly fast, it’s almost as if it didn’t happen. And yet here we are, recovering from feasting on Thanksgiving and staring down the Holidays and the culmination of yet another trip ’round … More Thankfuls
As my friend and I munched on warm chips and hot queso I was struck by the thought, “I wish we’d done this more often.” Yet, like so many times in life I was late to the game. While we ate good food and talked about what was going on in each of our lives … More It’ll Cost Ya, but It’s Worth It
The Wading Pool 