My Parents, Spring 2023 “On Letting Go” is a personal story series of 2023 about releasing people, work, and personhood to God; therefore, it is also a story of God’s kindness and the beauty, comfort, and joy received in return. In March of last year, my father was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer, and as one might expect, with that one phone call, my attention turned. All thoughtful plans for the year quickly fell by the wayside, including my work here. I didn’t even think to leave you a note, dear readers. As Elizabeth Elliot neatly phrased it, “The measure of our love is the measure o ..read more

Planning ahead can sometimes be hard to prioritize, especially when life feels hectic or when you’re feeling pulled in more than one direction. Even when we make the time to pause and think about the upcoming week, sometimes the chaos seems to follow us there. We fight to settle our thoughts, silence the noise, and focus without interruptions. I feel it more than others some weeks, but I’ve come to realize this: Simplicity is key in forming this habit. So for those of you who feel pulled by too many things, here are five ways I simplify this weekly planning rhythm and make it easy to repeat ..read more

Hello, dear reader, and happy new year! It has been nearly a year since I’ve written in this space, and had I known then, I would have given you warning or at least a note. But we don’t always know when a tug may come for us to go, only that when we sense it, we should, as Frederick Buechner puts it, “go with our lives where we most need to go, and where we are most needed.” And so I have obeyed the calling toward home and homeschooling with a fresh gladness and intention the last year, putting aside nearly all forms of public writing for a time, including this humble space. Once again, witho ..read more

I read a favorite Psalm this morning and noticed the familiar words: let your heart take courage. The imperative feels simple enough, as though courage lurks somewhere behind the bowls on the kitchen shelf. We only need to grab it. Yet perhaps on the tail of a volatile election or a year of living within a global pandemic, amid the age of cancel-culture, digital surveillance, shifting economies, violent winter weather, and blaring cultural questions about authority, truth, and justice, our hearts feel a little leary of grabbing anything at all. We begin our small endeavors with fresh gusto on ..read more

Hello, and a happy new year! I have missed this space, and I have missed the connection with those of you in this community. Thank you for your presence here even while I have been away, for your kind check-ins and patience with my silence. I’m grateful for you! At the start of last year, I jotted down a single line of wisdom a local friend Michelle Thomas shared, “don’t ever leave a dark place empty-handed.” I found myself returning to that thought throughout the year, looking and listening for Wisdom in the midst of sheltering in place, in the midst of racial and political tensions, in the ..read more

Planning ahead can sometimes be hard to prioritize, especially when life feels hectic or when you’re feeling pulled in more than one direction. Even when we make the time to pause and think about the upcoming week, sometimes the chaos seems to follow us there. We fight to settle our thoughts, silence the noise, and focus without interruptions. I feel it more than others some weeks, but I’ve come to realize this: Simplicity is key in forming this habit. So for those of you who feel pulled by too many things, here are five ways I simplify this weekly planning rhythm and make it easy to repeat ..read more

Scheduling an hour or two each week to plan the week ahead has long been a part of my weekly rhythm. These hours have helped me to prepare for our meal-making and learning at home, of course, but they have also helped me to make quick decisions about spontaneous opportunities, teach our children about time management, and create important margin for myself, too. The reality is there are only 24 hours in a day, and many of us aspire to do much with them. We want so much for ourselves, our homes, and the people within them. Planning ahead has helped me work diligently toward what matters most a ..read more

Hello, dear reader, and happy new year! It has been nearly a year since I’ve written in this space, and had I known then, I would have given you warning or at least a note. But we don’t always know when a tug may come for us to go, only that when we sense it, we should, as Frederick Buechner puts it, “go with our lives where we most need to go, and where we are most needed.” And so I have obeyed the calling toward home and homeschooling with a fresh gladness and intention the last year, putting aside nearly all forms of public writing for a time, including this humble space. Once again, witho ..read more

Liam walked in the door from work recently, sauntering over for a hug and a hello. At 17 and cresting six feet in height, I find I’m the one now cradled at the chest and something aches a bit inside. He reaches for the fridge door and lightheartedly mentions a conversation at work that day, stories shared between the co-workers about childhood. You know, I was listening to everyone talk about their experiences as a kid today, he says, and realized I had the best childhood! Burke and I were a bit like Calvin and Hobbes, always playing or building something, filled with so many stories. And the ..read more

I read a favorite Psalm this morning and noticed the familiar words: let your heart take courage. The imperative feels simple enough, as though courage lurks somewhere behind the bowls on the kitchen shelf. We only need to grab it. Yet perhaps on the tail of a volatile election or a year of living within a global pandemic, amid the age of cancel-culture, digital surveillance, shifting economies, violent winter weather, and blaring cultural questions about authority, truth, and justice, our hearts feel a little leary of grabbing anything at all. We begin our small endeavors with fresh gusto on ..read more