Moab, UT—At the trailhead in Arches National Park, my daughter and I launch our hike on a relatively benign dirt hiking trail, easily followed, marked with a metal sign. As the hike progresses, the trail [...]
We run downhill on a single track through a lush Midwestern woods, sunlight and green rushing past. Our feet staccato over roots and stones, undergrowth brushing our legs as we fly. I let out a [...]
Mother's Day can be rough. If you're childless but not by choice, if you recently lost your mom, if you have ever lost a child, Mother's Day can simply hurt. If you're in a mothering [...]
Our 21-year-old daughter called my husband’s cell phone one evening last week. “Dad, I’m on a quick break during class but I wanted to ask you: do you self-identify as a feminist?” “Well, yes, I [...]
I’m excited to welcome Micha Boyett, author of Found: A Story of Questions, Grace and Everyday Prayer, to the blog today and tomorrow for a little interview. First, my short review of Found: Being a [...]
What keeps you from living the life you want to live? Last winter in Chicago, we experienced a deep freeze where the temperature never went above freezing for more than a month, and walking outside [...]
So I have been an “empty nester” for exactly one week. So far, it totally sucks. I do not like it one bit. I am irritable and difficult--I admit this. Something feels off balance, and [...]
My son, my youngest child, turned 18 yesterday. By some definitions, an adult. A letter from the Selective Service showed up in today’s mail. (Gulp). I will always be his mother, and he will continue [...]
The events in Connecticut (and also Oregon) this week have left me stunned. Not only by the intial acts of violence, but by the fierce debates over gun laws etc. on blogs and social media. [...]
Day 2 (Last week, I wrote about cairns, the small piles of rock used to mark hiking trails. The cairns provided a metaphor for spiritual truth, and also gave me a clear picture of some [...]
