Only a Distant Memory
The golden sun tucks itself into the horizon, parting with a splash of soft pinks, purples, and oranges. Despite the departure, its heat continues to warm a world preparing for slumber. I trek across my yard to our duck pen, watching songbirds flit from their nests...
How Does He Hold Us?
I snuggled on the bed next to my son. He was struggling through pain, and I stroked his back and tried to comfort him. I reminded him God cared about his hurt—that God loved him and he too grieved along with him in his pain. “But it doesn’t really make a difference,”...
We’re All Entertainers In a Social Media World
The wires of the oven rack screeched out a song, while a wave of heat engulfed my face. My bright blue silicone oven mitts carefully pulled the cast iron pan out of its cocoon and onto the cooled stovetop above. A crusty loaf of golden sourdough bread sat still as I...
Like Jesus
I shuffled back and forth along the tile connecting my laundry room to my kitchen. A full day at home demanded clothes to clean and a kitchen to tidy. On one of my passes back towards the laundry room with an armful of goods to return to the pantry, I collided with my...
Praying Let’s Make a Deal
I confess, sometimes I play Let’s Make a Deal with God. Silent prayers cross my mind, and I realize the words I’m saying: God, would you please answer this one? I want this even more than the last. You don’t have to answer the others, but please this one! Have you...
Fear After Grief
I sat on the table of the surgical outpatient room. I already made it through the agonizing wake-up from anesthesia, and I was ready to retreat home. My cut-up body moaned quietly beneath the haze of Vicodin. The report was good. The doctor said it. The nurse said...
I Just Need Something New!
Your eyes pass back and forth over the clothes hanging in your closet. Nothing looks appealing. Nothing “sparks joy.” I just need to throw it all out and start fresh. Maybe I should make one of those capsule wardrobes. After pulling an old sweatshirt over your head,...
Names Nobody Remembers
Dozens of people had filed out of the movie theater. Custodians began to sweep up popcorn kernels as the background music played and the credits rolled. I sat in a row with my family, crunching the remains of my popcorn bag while each name made its way from the...
Grasping a Piece of the Past
Filling the walls of my home are pieces of the past. A pair of windows from an old family home frames the images of my children over our stairway. Above our kitchen table dangles an old oxen yoke. The simple piece of farming equipment is now a lamp that illuminates...
A Little Bit of Salt: A Short Story
She peered across the white laminated tabletop. Her eyes traveled down his jawline, past his chin to the white strands perched on the fork before him. The meat hovered in the air for a second before continuing its path up. Her breath caught in her throat while her...