I’m thankful for x-rays. I’ve written about broken bones in my novels, and having to set them without x-rays. The Egyptians and Greeks were pretty good at it, just going by feel, but still … I don’t think Mira would be quite the softball player she is if they had set her arm without some radiographic help. I’m thankful for …
Can I Have A Do-Over?
I’m thankful for the word undo. We can’t undo everything, but there are many things we can. We can undo something as simple as a mark on paper by erasing it, or a keystroke by hitting delete. We can undo a bad stroke in golf by taking a mulligan. Or we can go farther. We can undo the damage we’ve …
Thunder and Lightning
I’ve already said I’m thankful for rain. What can make it better? Thunder! I love thunderstorms even more than rainstorms. The long, deep rumble, followed by the sudden roar loud enough to make you jump, and the sharp crack of lightning. A hard driving rain underneath it all. (Does it say anything about me that I think crashing waves, rainstorms, …
To Boldly … Watch the Sun Set
S is for sunsets. Some people like sunrises, some prefer sunsets. I’m sure you could read some great theological meaning into that, but I just think sunsets are prettier. It’s probably because I grew up on the West Coast. The sun only rises over buildings there unless you travel for quite a distance. But I lived a mere two miles …
Rainy Days and Mondays
I’m skipping Q, because I can. R is for rain. The sound of rain, for me, is comforting. It’s too bad we don’t have tin roofs anymore, because I love that patter-patter-patter. The noise of raindrops on a window is close if it’s hard enough. It’s a kind of a hollow bonk. When it hits leaves, it’s a lighter plink. …
Clusters of Promises
P is for peanut clusters. It’s an odd thing to be thankful for, nevertheless I am truly grateful for peanut clusters. I relish the combination of salt and sweet, crunchy and smooth, dark brown and light gold. I am aware one good-sized one has a day’s worth of delectable calories, so I don’t eat them often, but I do love them. When we …
Could We With Ink the Ocean Fill
There is really only one O: Ocean. I am thankful for the ocean. To me there is no better manifestation of God’s power and majesty than a crashing sea. I could watch waves tumbling over one another for hours. The sea has always inspired fear and awe. Even the psalmist wrote of the terror the ocean could inspire in sailors, …
Peace I Give Unto You
N is for naps. They’re delightful, and I don’t know why little kids, who have more energy than sense and no need for naps, get to take them and we don’t. Well, actually I do. It’s precisely because they have more energy than sense, and we need a break. When we first brought Mira home, at three months old, they …
Let Everything That Has Breath … Make Noise!
M is for movies. Specifically chick flicks. I like those sappy, silly, mindless movies where everything works out and the boy gets the girl and people end up happy. Yes, I know very well life isn’t really that way, but I like watching them anyway. My girls will walk in and say, “Oh, mom, you’re not watching those again.” “Well, …
“He’s a Word Nerd, Like You.”
Emma, my college senior. told me this week I would love one of her professors. “He’s a word nerd, like you.” I laughed. I am a word nerd. I love language. It’s one of God’s best gifts to us. It’s what sets us apart from the animals. Language allows us to communicate with God and with each other. It’s powerful …