As many of you know, my dad was a professional watercolorist. He painted full-time for 45 years, and once he started painting, he never had another job. One of his favorite sayings, when people asked how long a painting took him, was “three hours and thirty years,” or eventually...... More »
For my birthday in July, a friend bought me a really fun gift—a pocket watercolor set and a 3×5-ish watercolor sketch book. It’s adorable… but I was like, what on earth am I going to do with this? When I attended the recent Midwest Writers Workshop, Kelcey Ervick, the author of a graphic...... More »
“I am an atheist, but this…” He extends his arms wide and looks around him. “…is my church! Once a year I come here to get filled back up!” Those may not be his exact words, but every year, Matthew Clemens shares a version of this statement at Midwest...... More »
Not long ago, I re-read an old book. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It was different than I remembered. I mean, some things made me cringe a teensy bit—but I found myself reading stories I’d forgotten, totally interested to see what happened. I was blown...... More »
Recently I was invited to lead a session on GRATITUDE AND GRIEF for a local organization called Dusk to Dawn Bereavement Services. I adapted that message to share with all of you here. Years ago, as I sat beside Mom’s hospital bed, temporarily placed in ours dining room—listening to...... More »
I was thinking again the other day (as I do daily, ad nauseam) about my struggles with my faith. My doubts, the journey I’ve been on, the losses I’ve experienced as my faith has evolved—my old (and much-loved) church community, friendships, my sense of security. My new church recently...... More »
When some people tell me I’m unique, I think perhaps it’s a subtle way of telling me I’m weird. Like, not in a good way. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve quit worrying so much about that and I’ve embraced my uniqueness. After all, God made me this way,...... More »
Life can be hard—especially when we’re juggling a lot of things. Like holiday gatherings, planning for big family feasts, checking your bank balance online and wondering when you’ll have time to do all the Christmas shopping you want to do, for example :-). For me, simply sitting with God...... More »
My friend Michele just loves cows. She stops on her walks to take pictures of the cows standing in the fields watching her. Knowing that, whenever I see cows now, I think of her and smile. (And let’s be real—this guy makes you smile, too, doesn’t he? (Or she?...... More »
For the cover of the new 2023 prayer prompt calendar, I wanted something a little more conceptual than in some previous years. I wanted to find an image that said “prayer” at first glance. It’s a lot harder than you might think. I sent dozens of texts to my...... More »