Simple

  I’ve Wearied Myself I’m an expert at complicating things. I like to have plans, you see. And plans are better, aren’t they, with a contingency plan or two or six? Well of course. If it’s worth planning, it’s worth planning well, no? If it’s worth doing, it’s worth my best, right? Um, wrong.  There are plenty […]


Encompassed

A First Thing It’s the image in my mind when I awaken, these days. A small child, perhaps age three, sits in the corner and listens. Bigger people are talking about some fantastic destination: Maybe a tropical beach. Maybe the zoo. Maybe Disneyland. The child–let’s say a boy, with blue eyes and straw hair–sits and listens […]


Bug-Collecting and a Mother’s Heart: Lessons in Compassion

What Hearts Remember I read this amazing story the other day, I say to my mother-in-law. She and I sit in Denny’s, lingering over the last bites of our pecan-banana pancakes. Really?  Yeah. It was a blog post. Your kids caught bugs when they were small, didn’t they? And they brought them home in jars? She nods, […]


Stepping Aside

Mamas: It’s Your Turn In The Middle “Is that you in the middle?” My friend Megan asked the question when I shared this image on Facebook. Yes, I admitted. That’s me. In 1982.  August brought us a brand-new granddaughter. August brought us a visit from my girl and her own three littles. August brought my wonderful co-grandma Judi a precious […]


Mosquitoes, Moms, and Mourning

Mosquitoes Are But an Annoyance for My Grandlittles, Praise God!Cadence, Elaine, Sawyer, Rich. Oahu’s North Shore, May, 2012. Mosquitoes Are a NuisanceYes, my daughter reacts strongly to mosquito bites, growing great big welts in no time. And yes, I’ve scratched myself to scars. And, well, yes, my grandson has used the persistent buzz of the […]