living hand to mouth though the hand not her own, the suckling mouth of thousands freed by her tenacity and wit called illiterate she moved through night like wind hiding fugitives in swamps covering her tracks with twigs pushing them all to liberty’s keep a woman who became myth lived with heartaches her own husband’s…
if you thought i would take it standing still…you got another thing coming
there was a time when i was both sad and broken. a time when my heart hurt so much that it actually felt like it was an entity moving outside my body. there was a time in my life when each day that i woke up i literally would count the seconds it took for…
grief, loss, and walking it out
A man who looked just like my grandfather walked into the bakery the other day. When I saw him my heart sank and I had a difficult time catching my breath. I wanted to run up to him, give him a hug, grab an apple streusel to share so that we could sit and chat….
my freedom was a prayer request (this I know as fact)
this life a syncopated symphony illustrated in easy rhythms played throughout an average day the sound of rain a wind that blows that truest note sang out at precisely the right time it’s the feel of the pavement beneath my feet and the pleasant freshness of a lime a moving psalm a prayer request everyday a…
fibroids, mirrors, and why I always say yes to dessert
When the nurse called me the message she left had such an urgent tone it had me worried. I didn’t know what she had to tell me. I’d been working on getting all my proper screenings done for over a month so I wasn’t even sure what results she was referring to in her message….
the smarty pants mommy and the little drummer boy: tales from the hood (mommy that is)
It’s funny how much your kids can be like you and at the same time…not. My side kick is so me in so many ways…from his uncanny ability to both understand and relay sarcasm to his willingness to come to the aid of a complete stranger in need…but in others, he is utterly and completely…
the first thing we do…lets kill all the critics
Imagine having someone in your life who every moment that they can are telling you how you need ‘to get it together.’ No matter where you are no matter what you are doing this person says things to you like ‘what’s up with that hair style?’ Or ‘when are you going to lose those 40…
lessons in communion
“Mom let’s take a walk today.” It’s a common request in my house now. He asks this question so casually. Mostly it’s not even an question behind it the assumption that we will be walking. It’s only a matter of when and where. Walking has been my solace since I was a little girl….
the eternal quest for authentic rest…i might do better looking for the holy grail
You know that moment when you’ve finally settled in to catch your favorite television program? I mean the drudgery is all taken care of…dishes, laundry, dog fed, lunches are packed and ready for consumption tomorrow. Right. That moment. After everyone is bathed, prayed, and tucked in. That moment when you grab your cup of tea…
without repudiation, i am a prisoner of hope
My mother prayed. Fervently with supplication and dedication, I would listen as she and her prayer circle covered every family member from the youngest to the most infirm, asking God’s grace and healing over their lives. My mother prayed. I listened to her words. Memorized her pleas. Later folded them into my own. My mother…
fearfree living 