Know God. Live Big.
We watched two different programs on television recently. One was about Chip and Joanna Gaines expanding their silo footprint, which included creating a Wiffle Ball field. The second program we watched was the track and field events in the Olympics, and it just so happens that our son-in-law went to school with the gold medal shot put athlete, Ryan Crouser…. Read More
Yesterday I drove down to get the mail. As I drove back home, I passed a little black girl who lives in our neighborhood. She waved an exuberant hello as I drove past, and I returned the wave. She made me smile. That’s when children came to mind. Children! I’ve been thinking like an adult for the last year, listening… Read More
Friday was my last day to teach high school Spanish, after eight years in a job that has challenged me at every turn but has offered some of the most rewarding work I’ve ever done. Next Wednesday I’ll walk in to the school, administer the final exam, enter grades, and walk away. This morning I opened my laptop and walked… Read More
I shake cumin into my palm and toss it into the crockpot. Looks like a teaspoon to me. Not much different with picture hanging, where I’ve never used a ruler or a level but have found eyeballing it to suffice. Close enough. “Does it look good to a man riding by on a horse?” my friend always used to say…. Read More
The mirror tells the story of what the last months have been like for me. Black circles under my eyes speak of little sleep and great strain and sorrow. Blog post after blog post about suffering, with seemingly no end to that cloudy theme. This morning I woke up and fought the familiar battle to get out of bed. You… Read More
I almost cried the first time I drove on the bypass. Seven minutes. It only took me six minutes to get from work south of town to Costco north of town. I love you, bypass. That’s been some years now, since we went all big city up here in northern Montana, and now the next phase of that road project… Read More
I have a lot of nerve with this blog post title, as if I’m an expert or something. So, let me be clear that I had one successful moment handling my anger a few nights ago that I’m going to tell you about. As a teacher, I know that sometimes when trying to learn something, if you can get a… Read More
A few months ago, I made the 12-hour drive from northern Montana, to visit my mom in central Wyoming. On the way, I needed to make a pit stop but was in the middle of a Native-American reservation. I felt nervous to stop but finally made a desperate decision to pull into a gas station. As I walked in and… Read More
Only a week into this new year, and we’re already facing hard circumstances. The news of turmoil and the ongoing Covid crisis creates a sandwich, with our own personal problems in the middle. Turning the calendar page did not change the fact that we live in a broken world. At my normal 3:00 a.m. lie-awake-and-worry-about-everything hour last night, I could… Read More
My squirmy, eight-month-old grandson was playing in my lap while his momma was taking a much-needed rest. I had my Bible open next to me and was attempting to memorize the passage of Scripture that was my devotional reading for the day. (Side note: kudos to moms with littles who make any attempt to reach out for God during your… Read More