I look nothing like my grandma Ruth Geneva. She was a redheaded, fair skinned, white woman, and I am Chinese, with black hair and brown eyes. I am not her biological granddaughter, but she loved me like I was. She was at the hospital with my mom when I was born, and she was the first to...
We live by taking other living beings from the earth, doing some kitchen magic to them, then — with some dental violence — we swallow the bits, and magically they become part of us. This is God’s odd design for powering our bodies. Without participating in this phagic...
“Mama and Dada will get you a goldfish if you poo poo in the toilet.” “If you just sit on the toilet, Mommy will give you two M & M’s!” Ah, bribery. Every parent of a toddler has been there, and I admit that the words above came out of my mouth...
Knitting has always been a central part of my life. In the fourth grade, my favorite show was The Carroll Duvall Show (kudos if you’ve even heard of it). Think of Carroll Duvall as a low-tech Martha Stewart, featuring craft ideas your grandma would give you for Christmas. My kind of...
“The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded.” (Exodus 17:1 NIV) There is a distance that curls ‘roundbodies of trees clothed in shaky silver,hesitating in the bend to expressthat lofty ceiling of...
Three years ago, I lived a life without any routine — sleep happened at some time between 8pm and 2am. I woke up somewhere between 4 AM and 7 AM or exactly 15 minutes before rolling out of bed for work. Weekends and days off were opportunities to stay up really late doing nothing...
I may have written this post, or one similar to it, before. I will write it again, because I continue to bump up against the need to learn the same lesson. I internally rail against the drudgery of ordinary life and look for escape. The unending repetitive nature of grocery shopping...
A couple of weeks ago, I went home to Alaska where I grew up. There are so many things I love about being back under my parents’ roof. The smell of clean laundry as soon as you walk in the door. Taco nights, when my brother and his wife come over and everyone teases me for putting...
Happy New Year! In my job as a recruiter, these three words invoke fear and anxiousness. I find it difficult to celebrate the blessing that was the year behind me, as I am confronted with the unknown before me. My scorecard resets to zero. Doubt settles in. Will I be successful? Will I be...
Like many people, my intention statement for the year could be summed up with the word “present”. For me, this has a dual meaning. I want to focus on being more fully present to the moment. Sometimes, I feel like I’m living life in my rear view mirror. I’ll think...