Author: Callie J. Smith
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Intentional Places: On Where We Spend Time
I’ve begun volunteering at a local library. Up the steep stairs of an old Greek Revival-style house, artist studios share space with this small, independent lending library focused on women’s history. It drew my attention the very first evening I climbed those stairs and looked around. I’d gone out exploring on one of our city’s…
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In Praise of Small Projects
I recently enjoyed a small project way more than I’d expected to. The kick of energy and enjoyment it brought has left me reflecting on the relative sizes of my efforts. I believe I already do value small things. I’ve also long understood the importance of pausing frequently to celebrate accomplishments of all sizes. I’ve known that…
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Wholeness: a Good Word and a New Year
Wholeness – it’s my word for the new year. Some years a word has served me better than a resolution. A word’s given guidance when I didn’t know where I was going, let alone what steps to take to get there. When the world keeps changing, or when I’m considering what’s important in a new…
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Wishing for a Kinder Holiday Season
How do you feel when you think about the holidays? I have such conflicted reactions. As you can tell, I’m already looking ahead. On the one hand, the holidays are supposed to be – and often are – a very special time of year when we pay extra attention to the important people and efforts…
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On Birch Branches and Everyday Reminders
A birch tree reaches out over the White River at a point very near my favorite bike trail. A clear view of it opens up from the hilltop north of an interstate bridge. From there I see many branches of many trees, but the birch’s vivid white bark often catches my attention. I first noticed…
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What I’d Climbed Up There to Do: On Learning to Play the Carillon
As a fall semester begins for students and educators, I’m sharing this essay inspired by my own college days. It originally appeared in “Bell: Essays by readers” in the March 2024 issue of The Christian Century. ~~~ I can’t fully explain why I did it. I thought a lot about those bells. Lying in my…
About the author
Callie J. Smith writes about women who, like her, are finding themselves. Her essays and cozy fiction (contemporary and fantasy) explore everyday things like hope, creativity, and grief.
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Callie J. Smith 