Do you remember being little and playing too long in the bathtub to the point where your skin would start to wrinkle? My mama would always remind me that once the skin got ‘pruney’ it was time to get outta …
Live Expectantly
This article appears in the latest spring issue of Connections. You know those people whom good fortune seems to follow? We all know people like this – they seem to bring clear skies with them wherever they go. They win tickets …
One Step Closer
I dragged them into marriage and motherhood unwillingly: the memories of my childhood. They tracked my steps and lurked in the shadows until it was safe for them to emerge; when my life had settled into the predictable patterns of …
The Death and Resurrection of Faith: Reflections on Good Friday
A year ago on Good Friday, I admitted something out loud that I’d known for some time: my faith, at least as I knew it, was dead. I made my admission to a trusted friend, telling her that if being …
Behind the Glasses
I sat in a beach chair and cried. Not legit crying with sobs and shudders. It was subtle – the kind of crying where your tears just turn on, as if they were emotional garden hoses connected to a leaky …
Seeking Answers After a School Shooting
Thursday morning, February 15th, the day after the horrible attacks in Parkland, Florida, I woke up questioning whether or not to send my oldest daughter to school. Sadly, it wasn’t the first time I had asked myself this question. Our …
Weaving a Tapestry of Hope
Black History Month has special moments in various phases of my children’s lives. Now that I have teen and adult children, the stories and lessons we discuss today are different than the ones we had when they were in elementary …
Reflections on Martin Luther King Jr.
Just over 50 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 1963. His words and work stand steadfast today, leaving a legacy of a nation changed …
Advent 2017: Hope Behind a Chain-linked Fence
Inside the eyes of refugee children, I found myself swimming in hope this week. It wasn’t the kind of hope that I expect during the holidays. It didn’t come with bells or fancy songs or a thousand lights. But this …
Advent 2017: Long Waits and Heavy Hopes
My husband carried the tree into the house, and – like magic – it felt like Christmas. We gingerly carried the massive evergreen through the house, my children jumping up and down as pine needles dripped to the floor. Just …