Reboot, Rejuvenate, Resurrect

When Words Become a Course of Action Do you make a distinction between sharing your opinion, giving advice, and advising? I do! I began randomly gathering other opinions on July 1st. I did not know my research would be assessed on July 5th. I have developed a fondness for the phrase “in my opinion.” It feels like safe space. One’s opinion is theirs… period. The listeners can agree or disagree, but they can’t—or shouldn’t—deem it wrong. When an opinion is shared that I don’t a

ICE CREAM The gaggle of youngsters who run through my house know there are treats in the freezer. They ask for what they want, which may or may not be there. When it isn’t, they ask, “What kind of ice cream do you have?” Which got me thinking: What do I know about ice cream? Turns out, more than I thought—and somewhere between the freezer door and those eager little faces, God stirred up buried memories. Ice cream can be loved and desired yet not tolerated. Some prefer plai

BUCKING HORSE In a previous blog post, “The Habit of Not,” I asked myself this question: Had I developed a habit of not seeing or listening to my heart when it whispered personal truths? The example I shared then was my lack of acknowledgment that hospitality, hosting, and entertaining others often tied me into a knot. That question lingered. I describe myself as accomplished, with a healthy dose of ego and self-esteem built from the inside out. When a crack appears in my

POP QUIZ Love is never theoretical; love is a practice, and life has a way of giving pop quizzes that reveal how faithfully I am practicing it. I am a work in progress. I know this to be true, but occasionally I unconsciously begin to think that I have arrived. Arrived where? I don’t know, but I slip into a mindset of satisfaction with self. Experience is the best teacher, and it has taught me that this mindset requires self-assessment. Sometimes, however, self-examination

Lessons from Pothos I believe much of what we need to know about sustaining healthy relationships can be gleaned from the intentional observation of nature. You are not required to subscribe to my belief, but I invite you to consider what a thriving plant can teach us about restoration, renewal, and growth. The Gift of a Cutting My Sistah-friend in Florida cares for a magnificent pot of pothos. It is the centerpiece of her lanai—her screened porch, for those of us who live ou

Watching the Battle Against Rest My family of three was asked to watch the two girls from next door—two energetic, somewhat demanding children. Their father left promising he would return and insisting they would not need to spend the night. Still, he brought their pajamas just in case. After a full evening of activities, dinner, and snacks, the girls were finally dressed for bed. The younger one quickly gave in to sleep and drifted off in my son’s lap. Her older sister, howe

THE HONEY MAN Four children under twelve and I piled into EarthMother—my blue car—to visit The Honey Man. We needed honey for our daily coffee, and for health reasons we prefer it locally made and harvested. I also like taking the kids on outings their parents might not think about doing. During the pandemic, we discovered we could buy honey just steps from the hives where bees do their work. Honey does not appear by accident. Making honey is dangerous and time-consuming

BOOTS ON THE GROUND As our plane lifted from Minneapolis, I was unusually awake for takeoff. I turned to my companion, a frequent visitor to the state and repository of much trivia, and asked, “Isn’t Minnesota the land of 10,000 lakes?” He smiled and said it was closer to 13,000. In fact, Minnesota has 11,842 lakes of ten acres or more. Looking out the window, I understood why the slogan fits. From above, the land seemed covered with scattered patches of water of various si

SHOULD I OR SHOULD’NT I? I was walking on the sidewalk in a neighborhood that I didn’t know existed in my city when I read a sign posted on a utility pole. “DANGER DO NOT CLIMB.” I thought, “Dah, why would anyone want to try?” The following morning, I read words penned by my new favorite author/poet, Mark Nepo… “living over hiding, being over thinking, participating over observing, thriving over surviving,” and the danger sign flashed in my head. Follow along as I attempt to