Sometimes I don’t really know what I’m doing. It’s not always a bad thing. For instance, I’ve had a hankering to bake rye bread lately – real rye bread that smells like yeast and rises on the kitchen counter. I knew nothing about any of it, but I decided a few months ago that a... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
Summer Quartet IV: What Satisfies the Cat
Did anything about this summer surprise you? For this final installment of my “Summer Quartet” blog series, I’ll say that I had some insights from my summer outings. I also had some new thoughts upon coming home. Now in this haibun (prose + haiku) habit, I’ve been reflecting on the contrast … ~~~ What Satisfies... Continue Reading →