Know God. Live Big.
I paid $15.00 for a three-shelf unit for our garage. It was light enough that I could carry the box home in one hand. When I opened it and slid out the parts, there were several bags of varying kinds of pipes and screws labeled A through J. Seriously? I had to lay it all out on the floor and… Read More
How did this white Montana girl end up on the equator in Uganda? Only by God’s design. But there I was, with my midwinter pale skin (which I refer to as “morgue white” when shopping for makeup), flying into the airport in Entebbe, Uganda: my first time to be in the minority. First let me rewind to my grandma’s garage,… Read More
It was the end of another full day of school, and I was doing my normal self-evaluation on the drive home. It’s like taking attendance, except my question is “Are you okay?” instead of “Are you here?” I see each student and replay and critique each conversation. Did I hurt any feelings? Say or do anything harmful? Anything that needs… Read More
It’s 5:09 a.m., and the sun is coming up over the Rockies. I’ve been awake for an hour talking to God about a student whose progress is concerning to me, as we end the school year. Behind this name trails the name of a friend’s kid and another friend’s kid who are making bad choices right now. Their faces and… Read More
One week to our 25th wedding anniversary, so you should know about a longstanding joke between Matt and me. I’ll make some insightful comment about a person, and Matt will disagree. I’ll argue with him, because…I argue. The disagreement escalates, until finally I bark at him, “Honey, which one of us knows people?” Then we laugh, and he has won…. Read More
I was four-people deep in line at the post office, which placed me next to greeting card racks on either side of me. My eyes went to the cards on the right, but after looking at a few, immediately I turned away. (Is there any greater sign of human depravity than in some greeting card lines these days?) Averting my… Read More
Last week, Spanish class was awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome, not so hot. My students made me want to weep with their success on more than one occasion. They really made some great advancements. Then came Friday and what I thought was going to be a super easy matching vocab test, but they didn’t impress me so much. “Oh man, we… Read More
There is a box of Funfetti cake mix on my counter, because today is my 47th birthday, and I am going to take “homemade” cupcakes to school with me. Throw your own party –that’s what my inner seven-year-old tells me. It’s my birthday! Now let me back up to last night. A lot of times people ask me, “How can… Read More
You know that lady at Costco who has the clicker in her hand as you come in? Counting people. Wednesday was like that for me. One click for a voicemail to our daughter. One click for a question to the school secretary. Two clicks for greeting the lunch ladies. One click for a message to the principal. One click for… Read More
Observe the battle: My brother and I on one end of the field. My sister-in-law and her daughter on the other. Dispute: When best to eat a pear. My sister-in-law and her daughter want an apple-like experience when they bite into a pear, and they will only eat the fruit if it offers a solid crunch. My brother and I,… Read More