Grace is random discussion with old friend over fish and chips on a rainy summer night in Maine. When topics can flow seamlessly, with more light than heat, from alternative career paths (“What if money didn’t matter?”) to politics to Michael Jackson’s funeral to latest literary finds and theological theories, you know you’re in the …
Suffer me
I heard the phrase again the other day that never fails to get my back up: "I don't suffer fools gladly." I don't like it, mainly because it's often used as an excuse for being rude or dismissive of other's ideas and not giving someone a full hearing. A few years back I was interviewing …
Life
Sometime life as Supermom stinks. Well, frankly, it's a lie, the whole "supermom" idea. Working a full-time-plus management job, ticking away at a masters degree one class at a time, and striving to be all things to all the significant people in my life (and being ever mindful of the gap between who I am …
Eternity
I recently overheard a strange snippet of a conversation about recognizing loved ones in heaven, which reminded me of the even stranger conversation Jesus had with a group of Sadducees who asked Jesus whose wife a woman would be after death if she had married a bunch of brothers (consecutively, not all at once). Jesus …
Grandma Kay
On April 28 of this year, my father's mother, Catherine Griswold, died after 90 years on this earth, leaving a legacy that included 9 children (7 having survived her), 21 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren. Several years ago, I wrote about my grandmother in my journal. It was part of a rediscovery of myself, my family, …
Collection of gratefulness
Last fall I started writing down 3 things each night that I'm grateful for. I haven't kept up with it consistently, but have managed to gather together an interesting collection of blessings. Here are a handful:I'm grateful for...1. The dining room table. It is good to have a place to gather and eat pancakes, drink …
The Opposite of a Fence
A few years back I was leading a writing workshop. One of the exercises I gave to the group was to respond to the question, "What is the opposite of a fence?" I participated in this exercise as well, and what follows was my response:A fence keeps out, so the opposite must bring in. So …
Zechariah
I wrote the following thoughts for a Christmas Eve service a few years back. The story surrounding Christ's birth is rich soil for contemplating parenthood. ZECHARIAHAfter praying and waiting and hoping for years, a faithful servant, you couldn’t believe it when the angel came to you. You could not believe the good news, and for …
Grandma Darrow
The level of detail stored in our memories about our parents and our parents' parents is truly remarkable. Pick up an old family photo. See where it takes you. Go ahead, don't be afraid. Try it.GRANDMA DARROWThat you were wearing a dress at a picnicdid not startle me.It was that you were there at all,grey …
Ruth & Naomi
I've always been fascinated by the story of Ruth. What a strange and interesting journey of family. I wrote this poem after having lived in two different "foreign" (to me) countries in less than one year. I felt after that experience that I was beginning to get a glimpse of understanding of Ruth's experience.RUTH & …
All Nine 