Living Well

  • Thread

    Thread

    I was having trouble sleeping with too many thoughts churning around in my brain. So much is happening in the lives of the people I love, and praying for them didn’t feel like enough. I wanted to place them, physically, in the arms of God. Since I couldn’t do that, I tried something else. I…

  • Late

    I was in second grade, and it was nearing the end of the school day when Ms. Giovanangelo asked if I would bring a paper to the office. Kids were putting on coats all around me, and it was clear the bell would ring at any minute. And though I was a high-achieving, compliant, rule-following…

  • Hope in Growth Under the Surface – (in)courage

    Hope in Growth Under the Surface – (in)courage

    I’m no gardener, but this past October I planted tulip bulbs in the ground and shared more from the batch with some dear friends. As winter approached, I bought amaryllis bulbs, planted two in pots, and gave away still more. I wasn’t looking for a new hobby, and I don’t revel working in the dirt.…

  • New

    New

    I’ve had some fun New Year’s Eves. When I was a kid, our parents would pre-order Chinese food for our dinner, and I remember with fondness the sticky red-sauced pork and fried rice we ate just once a year. In later years, I remember a fun NYE in a friend’s apartment with super-loud music and…

  • Retreat

    I was on retreat this weekend with a group of women and I had somewhat of a leadership role. I gave a talk, and helped facilitate conversations, but mostly I was in the retreat experience along with everyone else. It might have been easy for the women to believe that the ‘leaders’ among the group…

  • Introvert

    Today I made small talk with the girl at the coffee shop and laughed with a bank teller. I welcomed a new Dad to music class with a smile and I looked him right in the eye, too. None of these small actions seems like a big deal, but if you knew me at age…

  • Word

    Did you ever hear something come out of someone’s mouth that rang so true that it slowed time, just a little? It could be truth, or wisdom, or encouragement, but when it hits you, you know it’s something you needed like a missing puzzle piece in the very depths of you and the only response…

  • Grow

    I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.  So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 1Corinthians 3:6-7 I have planted some things in my time, in our little yard. Several pots of New Guinea Impatiens and…

  • Tribe

    Binary thinking. We see it played out today in our culture, our politics, and on our television screens. It’s black and white, hot and cold, with us or against us. As I get older, I see the danger of this kind of thinking. For one, it’s inflexible and betrays a kind of arrogance, but also,…

  • True

    This week, I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by goodness. Gatherings, messages, connection, kindness, inclusion, and gosh, I love that stuff. It’s like fuel to me to be seen and known, appreciated and valued. And more, I love doing that for others, making them feel loved and seen, and I had a good bit of…