Living Well

  • Twelve-going-on-thirteen

    As we get ready for Brian to start middle school, I find myself totally overwhelmed.  Twelve-going-on-thirteen is a rollercoaster.  Sometimes my son is incredibly annoyed by every member of our family (mostly me) and is steadfastly stubborn in his belief that everyone else is living a life much better and grander than his own.  At other times,…

  • Learning to Swim

    I have taken my kids to swim lessons at a local college for years and have always loved this program.  They swim for a half hour each day for two weeks, learning new skills quickly.  This has been an odd Summer since one of my kids is away at camp and this is the first swim…

  • Lessons from a Blizzard

    Now that we have thawed a bit, I have the time to note some of what were real blessings in the last few difficult days.  From Friday at 11pm to Sunday 8pm, we were without power, except for a bit provided by a small generator that Tim had the good sense to rent on Thursday…

  • Sweatshirt

    Last night I was talking to my Mom who art in Heaven and was simultaneously wiping tears away with my sweatshirt sleeve. Today I grabbed that same sweatshirt to go for a run.  It got wet with rain and I finally tore it off and used it to wipe sweat from my face as I finished…

  • My Daughter, My Hero

    We rarely get the opportunity to be truly present in a moment we know will impact our children’s lives.  Those moments are usually best appreciated in hindsight…they stand out to us because of what happened afterwards.  But last night, I got to witness something pretty amazing.  My eleven year old daughter had her very first violin…

  • Tuning

    I stopped in the Chapel on my walk to pray. This was one of those days that I really needed to sit and listen to God, so imagine my surprise when I opened the door to find someone banging on the piano. Sometimes a college student will find and use the Chapel’s piano, but on…

  • Dear Poison Ivy,

      Dear Poison Ivy, No one could say the time we’ve spent together this week was fun, but now that the rash is receding from my face and neck, I’ve found I’ve learned a few things along the way for which I have you to thank. 1. Toxic lifeforms will give you advance warning if…

  • Orange

    Amid the hustle and bustle of the preparation for Christmas, I had been finding myself a little breathless. Even though I knew I should be spending more time praying, reflecting, and enjoying the season, it seemed my mind was full of things to be done, tasks to check off. In every Advent sermon, I heard…