Moods are fickle. The maddest and saddest I have ever been happened on a warm September afternoon and a spring morning. But in turn, one of my happiest moments was standing in a parking lot wavy with heat and kissing my son on the side of his neck which was covered in sand. The asphalt was sticky under my shoes. There were still miles and miles to go before sleep. And a mosquito had just …

I remember the last truly excellent sermon I heard. It was October of last year and it was on worship music. I talked a little about it at the time. In fact, I did a series of Sunday Thoughts on the different ways we speak to God (and God speaks to us) through music. It was our worship leader who gave the sermon. I let myself be taken up in the nuances of what music …

So I accidentally tripped into a phrase that has stuck with me ever since I spoke at the women’s gathering a few weeks ago.   I was right in the middle of describing the moment we received news in the NICU that Charlie had brain damage and it still, to this day, is one of the hardest things for me to speak of without rendering myself incoherent. That chapter in UNBOUND was gut-wrenching–really. It felt …

I had the privilege of speaking to the women in my church a few weeks ago. I was nervous, of course I was. Speaking in front of teenagers when I taught English, no problem. But speaking in front of my peers, friends, acquaintances and strangers is an entirely other monster under the bed.   We met on a Wednesday morning on the top floor of our Sunday school building in the room I affectionately call, …

My heart has been in turn panicked, broken, scared, hopeful, heartened and a myriad of other things this week as I watch the country fight over the rights of immigrant families to remain together once they come to this country. There is so much fear involved on both sides.   This week I have given in to fear. I let it paralyze me.   I pictured sweet Charlie being rolled away from me in his …

We’ve had a lot of firsts lately—the kind of firsts that aren’t milestones, but to my nostalgic inclinations are magic. First road trips of the summer. First strawberries from the farmer’s market. First maneuverings in a power wheelchair. First skinned knees because shorts are out in full force. First time (of many) that my girl will grow out her bangs. First ice cream where they could pick allllll the toppings. First time a little body …

Two years ago in a gesture of generational companionship over the lost art of gardening, I bought both my mother and myself giant lilies. They were mail-order, the first thing I’d bought from a catalog since Amazon was invented. The bulbs arrived in sawdust and dirt and we ceremoniously opened them together while sitting cross-legged on the deck.   Together we measured distance and dug holes and stuck those potato-ey nuggets in the ground and …

Hi Sunday Thoughts folks! I’m taking a break this weekend to celebrate two VERY special four-year-olds. Cora and Jonas would like me to tell you all hi. They have already been to the trampoline park and we are currently eating gummy bears and gummy worms and watching Beauty and the Beast in our pajamas. Life is good. Happy linking!   Sunday Thoughts Link Up It’s time for another Sunday Thoughts Link-Up! I know there are many …

MATTHEW 18:2-5 2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.   I’ve been thinking a great deal lately about what it is to live …

REVELATION 21:22-25 22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. REVELATION …