Three Risen Loaves

Three Risen Loaves

What does it mean when the bread rises higher than it ever has on the day we celebrate the greatest rising? I made three loaves and didn’t think of the significance of number until later. I scored the dough right before baking. It was then that I saw the marks and remembered… So here I [...]

The wild and rolling summer

The wild and rolling summer

Give me all the wild, rolling storm clouds colliding with giant tufts of cotton candy in the sky. I will hold a cold mason jar of tea to my flushed face while early afternoon glides down my neck. But I know that, like a train chugging up to the station, the storm will come. It [...]

He never fails.

Just after 1:00 o’clock in the morning, a three year old boy cried out in the dark. Flailing and shouting that he was scared. He was frantic and kicking and pleading to be held. I tried my best to contain his fear. Then I heard the cry of a baby who could only feel nearby [...]

Turn for the Tide

Part One: The Glow . Our leader quickly explains what I will need to hurriedly write down. As scribe, I will listen for tag numbers, latitude, longitude, measurements, physical descriptors, and military time. I nod, hoping I won’t forget my instructions or fall behind. How quickly will this all happen? The tag, medical pack, a [...]

Only Connect

“Only connect.”- E.M. Forster. I heard Shauna Niequist speaking about that quote recently. She pointed out that it was helpful to her as she had a tendency to want to hide or be private. Especially when she is hurting or afraid. And I can relate to that. But she also spoke of the many other [...]

My Adult Life

He describes it in perfect detail. From the fireproof walls to the color of the front door. The bathroom floors are penny tiles. On the dining room wall hangs a fruit bowl still life painted by his own hand. He can tell you the floor plan precisely. His eyes have memorized a scene they’ve only seen in [...]

Soak

Soak. Rest. Breathe. The water was rushing out, the bubbles were rising. Stepping into the warmth; I tried to remember the last time I had felt this. Nothing came to mind. . I peeled open a book. In the steam, the words seem to rise off the page. I seemed to drift with them. One [...]

Goodness

“Some day these will be the good ol’ days.”, someone says. . These are the good ol’ days. Now. Right now. They are good now. . But I forget. . Tires spinning in mud. I’m spinning another bedtime story. Quietly, rubbing my eyes, I creep out of the room. . Now where was I? Folding. [...]

Clutching sand

I don’t want to hear only the fringes of what you say. I don’t want to see only the specks of light that my eyes favor. I want to hear and see and feel it all. Because it is fleeting. We are clutching sand. . He cups his hands and stares intently at the swiftly [...]