What Does the Bunny Say?
“Ding!” My eyes fly open. “Ring-ding!” What in the world is that noise? “Ring-ding-ding!” I roll over and look at the clock. It’s 5am. “Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!” Is there a fox in my backyard? I tear downstairs and out the back door. ...
Through the Eyes of a 10-year Old
When my 10-year old son and I set out for a fall break road trip, headed to Michigan where I had to attend a board meeting, it wasn’t quite what I expected. I expected him to be frustrated when, 15 minutes into our trip, I realized I forgot my driver’s li ...
How to Pray Without Ceasing
It was going to be a tough phone call. I dialed, put the phone up to my ear to wait for the other line to pick up and said, “God, please help me.” I heard a gasp. My son’s eyes were as wide as paper plates. “You know God’s phone number?” I laughed. A ...
Choosing Goodbye
Today marks the first day of National Hereditary Breast & Ovarian Cancer Week. It also marks the three-year anniversary of a monumental event in my life- the day I opted to undergo a preventative mastectomy because of my own hereditary risk of cancer ...
A Warning Against Writing Letters to Unknown Vandals
WARNING: Be very cautious when writing a letter to an unknown vandal for smashing your windshield with a baseball. You probably imagined the deed was done by some smart-mouthed pre-teen with a swagger. And negligent parents who hadn’t taught him respo ...
To the Kid Who Smashed My Windshield
I don’t know your name. I only know what you did. Rocketed a baseball from your hand or bat and smashed my windshield. Then you left. Left without a note. Left cracked glass that mars my vision. All I can see now is brokenness. I know you probably ...
The Birds and the Bees and the Boys
Our two oldest boys, 9 and 10, dive into our comfy, brown chair in the living room and hug a blanket around their knees. Brian opens to the first chapter. “Tonight we’re going to read a chapter together from What’s the Big Deal? Why God Cares About Sex, ...
Panera Grace
It’s a long line at Panera. I glance up at the menu. Ah- there it is. The Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken salad. I can taste it already. I was ordering two to go. One for me, and one for my friend Kristin who had graciously let my son play with h ...
Stranded at the Laundromat
With 6 clean sleeping bags and 2 comforters, I push my piled-high cart through the parking lot and pull the handle of the side door of our minivan to start loading. It won't open. That's odd. We just spent our lifesavings to get the only-helpful-when-the ...
Polychronicity
Our rental car flies through foreign streets dodging motorcycles, parked vehicles, and small dogs. It is 7:26pm. I am headed to a theater conference where I am scheduled to perform a monologue in a show that started at...7pm. Twenty-six minutes late and c ...