Excavating Beauty: what lies beneath the surface?
I never really liked the beige Berber carpet in the family room. When we moved in two decades ago, though, we figured we’d eventually update the room, with its very '80s wall of mirrors and [...]
Fuel for the long run of Lent
Last week, my crocuses bloomed brave and bright. Today, there is a 100 percent chance of snow. We’re in the slog of Midwestern spring, which is not really spring at all, but rather weather that teases [...]
A simple path from scarcity to abundance
One in a series of occasional reflections on Lent. Traditionally, Lent is a season of preparation for Easter. But what does that mean, to prepare for Easter? Maybe you’re not even sure about whether you’ll [...]
What are you longing for this Lent?
I went for a run this week in the woods. The subzero weather has abated, and things are beginning to melt. But the path shaded by tall, bare trees remains hidden from sunlight, and still [...]
Lead with your ears
Today we begin our 2021 Lenten series. Let's talk about this, the strangest Lenten season ever, and walk through it together. What practices do you want to engage? What do you want to let go [...]
How has the pandemic formed you?
On a Zoom call with my long-time running buddy Maryam this morning, the day in between her birthday and mine, we looked back at a year. Would we have imagined a year like the one [...]
Haven’t we given up enough already? Some thoughts on Lent
About a year ago, I remember feeling a bit of mild panic as I took the last container of Clorox Wipes from a now empty shelf in Target. Something big was going on. We had [...]
Build a bigger table
I’m a planner by nature. I live in the future, where things are bright because I’ve planned every detail. So usually by now I have begun making lists, planning how to cook the turkey. Brining [...]
The Thanksgiving Season has begun
Seven weeks from today is Christmas, and what we’ve come to call “the Christmas season” will come to an abrupt end. But when does the Christmas season begin? Most people complain that it begins earlier [...]
Making the holidays holy days
Photo by Hans Vivek from StockSnap Maybe because it snowed on Halloween this year, I’m suddenly thinking about Christmas. Which I realized is 50 days from today. Fifty days! I tell you that [...]
