New York City Birthday Trip
4745 days676 weeks156 months13 years She’s been here for 13 years. All the cliches about time fit here. All of them, insert them right here: ___ We surprised our soon-to-be 13 year old with a trip to New York City in February. When the girls were little, and we were very poor, we dreamed … [Read More...]
others are in on the secret now…
Across from our house is a cemetery. My desk faces the window and sometimes, while I'm working, I watch grave diggers prepare the ground for a burial. I see families slowly work their way up the long drive. I observe people gather under a blue tent to say goodbye to someone they love. Today I … [Read More...]
in the mountains of North Carolina…
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: we don’t take for granted that during a pandemic we’ve able to still travel and explore with our camper. COVID-19 changed the way we travel: no wandering around a gas station to stretch our legs or buy junk food, restroom breaks in the camper, no eating … [Read More...]
It changes the way you vote…
My dad told me he regretted paying for my college. He said this because he saw my college education at a secular school as the gateway to political beliefs that no longer match up with his. He’s never had a real conversation with me about what I believe or why. Or how much my faith--not my … [Read More...]
1096 days…
Thanks for taking me to the hospital three years ago, he said as we sat on the couch. He was watching football. I was reading a book with my feet in his lap. You're welcome, I said as I turned back to my book, and he turned back to the TV. Today is the three-year anniversary of my husband … [Read More...]
end-of-summer yard…
We're sleeping with the windows open now, crisp air coming in through the screens and complaints from my daughters that it's too cool in the mornings going out. I thought the outside construction and building and staining would be most loved in the summer. I sat under the new porch and worked … [Read More...]
Social distancing: week seven (April 26-May 2)…
I'm writing this weeks after the fact, but I'm determined to document eight weeks of our stay-at-home life. I promised myself I'd write eight weeks worth of posts so I could look back on this later, and I always finish what I start. It's a curse. About five weeks after I set it up, I took down … [Read More...]
the TV producer, part II…
I didn't need to call him. I knew the answer. After my friend responded, I sat at my desk and sobbed. It was the first time during the stay-at-home order I had cried. It came fast and hard. I cried mostly for the TV situation, but probably a little bit about everything else happening in the world … [Read More...]
the TV producer, part I…
At the end of March, a message showed up in my inbox with a curious subject line. Of course, the key to getting someone to open your email is a good subject line. This one did its job. A woman was introducing herself, telling me she worked for a large Christian television network, and was writing … [Read More...]
No, I don’t have any questions.…
I knew something was wrong last fall. Randomly I would have trouble swallowing, my throat getting tight and painful. I didn't feel like I was choking or dying, but it just kept coming back even after I watched what I ate, eliminating things I thought were causing it. Was I suddenly allergic to … [Read More...]
Social distancing: week six (April 19-25)…
I don't know how long I thought self-isolation would go, but it feels crazy to be writing this summary about our sixth week. In January when I was covering the lockdown China was doing, it felt kinda magical. Not being allowed to go anywhere, no reason to leave the house, hunkering down with just my … [Read More...]
