It’s a pilgrimage I undertake
whenever I’m nearby
I go again and again
to visit cherished relatives
so long gone
seeking the living among the dead
saying nothing
that hasn’t been said before

there is no ghostly reply
nor do I expect one 
perhaps that is the attraction
the chance to speak without interruption...

Everyone has different goals when organizing their houses.  And likewise, everyone has different attitudes toward “stuff”.  I have two cousins who were in clean-out mode last summer, and they couldn’t have been more different.  Mary’s mother and brother had died in 2019 and she inherited the family ...

I’ve shown you some of the things that I’ve held onto from my closet clean-outs, but this week I present things that I do not plan to keep…. although since taking this photo, my husband has pulled a few items back from the brink, like the candle in a silver heart engraved “Happy 25^th Anniversary, Da...

Today is Ash Wednesday, and this year more than one person has said it has caught them by surprise.  Susan Cunningham writes, “I am grateful for the structure of the Church calendar—ready or not—that brings me to re-enter the desert of wandering and waiting…What am I invited to release or give up?” ...

“What the world needs now is love, sweet love.  It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.”     Hal David

Last week, composer Burt Bacharach died at age 94.  I’ve often said that my education in theatre was my first pre-Christian experience of Christian community, of being part of a group...

In September, I told you about a family of artists that we’ve known for many years.  Recently I was cleaning one of our guest rooms, and was struck anew by the beauty of this quilt that hangs above the bed.  Created by Kendra Bayer in 1997, it is a series of portraits of women saints painted on beig...

He’s third
but will not be ignored
so ready to follow
but longing to lead
he knows that the last is not least
he will not be overlooked
chasing his brothers with sandy feet
he will charge the giantest waves
and brave the gnarliest surf
to play his part in life’s
comic drama with brio

Agua frio brio, bro!

Li...

Jacob as the younger of Isaac’s sons was not legitimately entitled to the blessing of a firstborn; by deceit he stole that honor from his older brother Esau.  But the blessing of his father came with a price—he had to leave home and find his fortune elsewhere, out of range of the fury of his brother...

water
running down
layer upon layer
with every
thaw and freeze
amassing
one small drip
suspended
on the tip
like spittle
or drool
sliding
falling
from the lips
of tormenting
winter
about to fall
until hardened
by the dropping
temperature
dipping faster
than water
can flow
splitting light
like shards
of glass
bright against
t...

The idea was a quick, snowy get-away with kids and grandkids at the end of Christmas vacation.  But the trip got off to a rocky start.  Dave and I had the car packed with our gear for the long weekend and drove to our daughter’s house.  As Meredith’s family pulled ahead of our car to lead the way, h...