Mary Oliver has slipped away, and it’s strange to me that she will not be on the planet anymore. Her book, Devotions, was on my lap the moment I read that she died.   Her words fill my head when I travel, walk a trail, show up to mountains or ocean hoping to feel small, and… Read More

    My email is full of drafts. When my type A friends see proof of this, they feel a strong desire to wash their eyeballs. But these drafts are full of one sentence wonders plucked straight from my brain, quotes from friends and authors, half-written blog posts, podcast notes, obscure ramblings, they are lists of books to be read, movies… Read More

December 31st feels powerful. A screeching halt filled with clattering memories; good and bad memories equally, if we are lucky. But noisy nonetheless. However, January 1 arrives in a whisper. Something about that first day feels like acquiring noise-canceling headphones. A new year provides the weary soul an opportunity to retreat from distraction, lighten up, tread slowly, and focus. A… Read More

The whole thing about beauty from the ashes… I have learned so much about it in 2018. This year I finally spoke more openly about my struggles with depression. Let it be known; there exists zero fluff in beauty from the ashes, it was not pretty or graceful. Searing pain struck me from head to toe — old pain not dealt… Read More

This one is 13 tomorrow.   Nora has a mighty heart for the underdog, is a dedicated writer of journals and enthusiastic reader of books, and has an affinity for Pinterest. She is fiercely loyal to those who are kind or hurting. She’s developing awareness and intolerance for the fact that social injustice abounds, has mad skillz for volleyball, ALL the… Read More

The night after Thanksgiving we decided to check out Christmas lights. The location was 45 minutes away but drew us in with its unique setting: four million lights placed along a 2-mile path through a park. What you are about to read is the story of our 2 hour and 45-minute voyage, just to start that 2-mile path. It is… Read More