Designing a life of peace, joy and laughter.
“No one knows you like they know youAnd no one probably ever will.You can grow up, make new ones,But truth is there’s nothing like old friends.‘Cause you can’t make old friends.”Ben Rector, “You Can’t Make Old Friends” from the album Magic On the first day of school when I was 10, the new girl asked … Continue reading You can’t make old friends.
When I was a teenager, I sweated at the McDonalds drive-thru and saved my after-tax dollars to buy clothes. Minimum wage took ages to add up to a pair of Guess jeans, so when my friends hung out at restaurants, I would order a Coke and say I wasn’t hungry. There was no sense in … Continue reading Feast.
Is a chapter just about to end for you? For so many of us, the end of another school year is approaching. Perhaps you are not a sentimental person, but most of us get caught up in daily life and forget the essential things that matter most to us. Here are a few things that … Continue reading Celebrate.
Can you picture your childhood house? This was mine from age 0-26, in Villa Park,IL. When my parents bought it, my dad said, “Mary, this is going to be your dream house.” Actually, my mom dreamed of a house with a big front porch like the one she grew up in. But year after year … Continue reading Dream House: 505
Last Friday all of Michigan was a shade of gray, including my mood. It was a heavy-heart week during which I had had some harsh words for God and for some people I care about. I told Jamie that I’d pick up some flowers at Trader Joe’s so we’d have something cheerful in the house … Continue reading How did she know?
Last weekend, we were driving our minivan home through the Appalachian mountains with the kids. It had been a long day in the van, and fast food was the plan for dinner. We couldn’t agree on one restaurant, so we chose both Taco Bell and McDonald’s, the best options at that highway exit. At the … Continue reading “The Long Cut”
We were driving along in the jeep last Saturday afternoon heading to a corn maze with the boys. I had just heard from our neighbor that someone we both know had been in an accident and was critically hurt in a hospital up north. His wife is a friend of a friend, but I don’t … Continue reading “Don’t you remember our mantle?”
Jamie and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary this week. In July, my parents marked 50 years of marriage, and they found a way to host a small party with siblings, despite COVID-19 restrictions. We played a video of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and friends reflecting on my parents’ marriage. Two of my aunts … Continue reading “Each for the Other.”
One of my sons has been having “scary thoughts.” After the boys are in bed, Jamie and I turn on the TV and find something funny to watch. We hear the heavy footsteps on the stairs before he sheepishly comes in and tells us he can’t sleep. It’s not a stalling technique. He has an … Continue reading Medicine for Fear
This is my Grandma Schipma, Marcie. I love this photo of her looking at my son Isaiah, because I feel like that is how she looked at all of us. Like she treasured us. She makes me think of love and generosity and hospitality and home. Generosity. When we rode our bikes to her house, … Continue reading May His favor be upon you
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