We six walk through the mist, feel wetness on our faces. I shiver in the night air, anticipating the heat of our van. The time and temperature has shifted from sun-kissed evening warmth to damp and foggy dusk . Nearing the last lap, we come into a clearing. And it is then I hear her …
Last night was kind of the crowning glory for me. A moment in time when I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. And to be sure. I have had my fair share of awkward moments. Moments when my truly funny life has imitated fiction. Watch me in action for about five …
There are days when frost covers barren ground. Like a heavy cloak. When tiny buds on frozen tree limbs shimmer with an icy glaze. When tiny shoots of new life, thwarted in process of emerging forth. Are interrupted. Dark, heavy clouds hang low and ready. There are these kinds of days. When table talk is …
There are times when I scrutinize the reflection I see in the mirror. And I don’t like what I see the majority of the time. Is that surprising, really? We are our own worst critics, and when we look in the mirror, what are we usually looking for? Flaws. Imperfections. Areas needing improvement. The other …
So, here’s where the rubber meets the road. Yesterday, I wrote about seeing the best in people. And I love doing that in my role as teacher, friend, colleague, volunteer. But probably the hardest place for me to practice seeing the best in people is when it comes to family. Because let’s face it, family …
A few years back, when I was teaching high school instead of five-year olds, I use to know a thing or two about teenagers. For instance, I knew that you can’t try too hard to be liked by them. It helps to be funny. And don’t take yourself too seriously, or you’ll be the laughing …
We sit across from one another in a cramped booth. She talks, I lean in. There is urgency in casual lunch meetings of this nature. And we both know that all too soon, time will snatch away these precious moments. And the body language says it all. Urgent!! This is important!! Don’t interrupt. That is, …
I guess you could say that Florida is in the Bible belt. And for sure you could say that I am in the middle of a Christian retirement community, as I am travelling with my parents. (And they are attending a Christian conference at a mid-sized Christian conference and Resort Center here in north-western Florida.) …
I am home today. Which is to say, I am not at work. Which is to say, I feel like a slacker. So. When one is home, as I myself have now discovered. There are a few things that sometimes occur. Sometimes large brown security trucks arrive unannounced in your driveway, with the unspoken expectation …
Is it possible to live life without regrets? To ‘do it up right’? To both live and finish life with a feeling of satisfaction, with a sense of accomplishment and pride that one has given one’s best? And lived one’s life to the fullest of potential? And if so, how is this done? If not …
Softly. Flakes fall, seeking for cushion on which to land. Wanting. For lodging. Connection, attachment. In need of that which is found, only in community. Longing to be more than merely that singular one. Searching, in their spiralling descent, for the many. And when that final security of joining the multitude is realized, when that …
Me: “Students, what are mammals?” Students: “They’re those animals on the movie Madagascar.” ****************** Me:(after a not so quiet, Quiet Time) “Students, do you know the meaning of the word “still” ? Female Student (using a very loud voice): “NO!!!!!! I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS????!!!” No, dear. I don’t reckon you do. And… …