What Colors Do You See?
What colors do you see? Look around while you walk to the mailbox, or as you drive to the grocery store. What hues do you see sidled next to each other? What tones shape the landscape that you live in?
Our family just got back from a trip to western America. For four thousand miles we drove through multiple states, visited three national parks, and (hopefully) made some memories our kids will tuck away for later.
Our voyage directed us through the cornfields of Indiana and Illinois, followed by the flat prairies of Iowa and Nebraska. I watched the horizon stretch upward as we travelled west. Plains became hills. Hills became foothills. Foothills became mountains.
Yet what hit me the most as we took on each new landscape were the colors around me. I was used to large fields of green in my home state of Indiana, but as I gazed out the window I saw a completely different scene. Outside a sea of greens played before me that I had never seen.
The Feast of Grocery Day
I’ve been meal planning for the past several years. I find that without a plan, our budget (along with my sense of sanity) flies out the window every dinnertime. So every fortnight, I can be found driving home with a car full of groceries that will carry my family through the next two weeks. The simple act has become a ritual of sorts. The kids await shopping day to supply new batches of yogurt and replenished snacks. I look forward to fresh produce and all the ways to use up my lettuce.
And each day, as I watch my fridge go from empty to bursting, and see the cans and boxes crowd our pantry, my heart can’t help feel a sense of—safety. I have food for our family. Everything I’ll need to cook is right here already. The feeling is freeing, but also sobering. How is it that I can easily fill my storerooms to the brim? What if I wasn’t able to?
My Favorite Almost-Deconstruction from 1847
Why do I hope in Christ? The question presses upon me even more these days.
I log onto social media and find another Christian singer, podcaster, or friend deconstructing from Christianty. Real stories of abuse or poor teaching often permeate their stories that led them to leave the faith. My heart aches, and at times rages for what should never have been. Yet I just can’t follow in desertion either.
Deconstruction may be a hot topic now, but we’d be mistaken to think it a new phenomenon. Despite the many resources on the subject today, I’ve found one of the greatest discourses from the pen of a young woman named Charlotte in the year 1847.
It’s a book I’ve treasured through various stages of my life, and I believe gives one of the clearest pictures of how to walk the line between vital correction and complete deconstruction.
Planting Trees
Our shovels thumped into the compacted dirt below us. My husband and I took turns as our tools danced their part. Scoop. Dump. Repeat.
With six trees left to plant, we raced against the fading sun, & more importantly the mosquitos buzzing around our necks. We grabbed the maple sapling and lowered it into the hole. As I scattered dirt around its base, I couldn’t help but think of its future. Someday it’s branches would stretch above our home. Would we be there to see it?
The Grillkens: A Fairy Tale
Once upon a time in a faraway land there was a grand kingdom. Its walls reached up and out to the vast countryside. The inhabitants of its villages soaked in the warmth of the sun that lit every stone around them. Their king was good, and his loyal subjects couldn’t stroll the streets without greeting another with, “Long live the king.”
Yes, long live the king. Live he did, and his rule increased. But reader, there was something sinister creeping nearby this kingdom, as it usually does. You see, the light that fell upon the stones of the king’s land did not continue far past the city walls. Instead it was swallowed up into a thick fog of black. For in the background of the majestic kingdom stood a solemn old forest. If it was only empty, that might have been bearable. But instead, it was very much filled. Haunting its grounds were the dreaded grillkens.
What Good Are Forgotten Memories?
“When have I made you laugh?” My husband’s question hung between us. I smiled and quickly rummaged through ten years worth of experiences. I could imagine myself: doubled over from laughing, often at late hours in the night. I could feel the ache in my cheeks from smiling too much. I felt confident in the joy we’ve had through the years, but the isolated reasons wouldn’t come. What was it we were laughing about?
A handful of instances resurfaced but the rest remained irretrievable. Even though they were forgotten, their existence left their mark.
Nuance Is a Tool of the Wise
Motherhood is a gift and a joy. It’s a truth many of us took time to celebrate, reflect, and publicly proclaim this past Sunday. Though not a church holiday by any means, Mother’s Day does give an opportunity to acknowledge the beauty and importance of the role God created.
Yet it wasn’t hard to see the many cries for nuance in approaching this particular day. I scrolled through my social media feeds and saw women mourning their lost children, the babies they never had, or their own mothers who had passed away. These women didn’t want their realities forgotten.
This plea for more careful meaning and application is not confined to Mother’s Day. Nuance is a term that seems to be frequently thrown around lately. Perhaps this is due to the nature of our shorthanded communication, or maybe it’s the drive for inclusion that seems to be sweeping through our culture.
In reaction, I’ve seen some Christians dismiss the idea of nuance by labeling it primarily as a sign of weakness or a way to hide the truth. Yet I don’t think this is the right move either. Instead, I believe Scripture shows nuance is a skill to use wisely, and it’s one we should all desire to cultivate.
Fun with Haikus
My daughter learned about haikus in school, and I decided to have some fun on my own.
And on the Eighth Day of Creation…
The beginning of Easter week is only a few days away. But as we get our Resurrection eggs ready and fill our fridges with crescent roll tubes to make empty tombs, perhaps you might prepare for Holy Week by thinking about another famous week. This week occurred long ago, in fact it was the very first one. Those simple seven days of creation that fill our children’s books and nurseries are what lead us to celebrate this Easter Sunday as the eighth day of creation. Have you heard of the eighth day?
Ten Year Anniversary Backpacking Trip
In a personal update, here is a short video of the backpacking trip my husband and I took last August. It was incredibly beautiful, and we are so grateful we were able to do it.