A little over a month ago, I did something that felt unusual and unnerving, especially for a workaholic like myself. I took a Sabbath. No, not one of those yearlong ones during which I’d don a robe and check into a monastery. Just a half-day one. Having recently wrapped up a...
A few years ago I was asked to help during the wedding of a dear friend. The wedding took place outdoors amongst the trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was a beautiful setting, made all the more beautiful for the story behind their marriage. Both the bride and groom had searched...
July is always a time for me to reflect on how I got to where I am today: mother of two and professional writer. Twelve years ago this month, my life changed in a big way: I gave birth to my first-born son. But another life-changing event happened after my husband and I came home from...
This summer our family has reignited our interest in backpacking. In our early married years, my wife, Angie, and I backpacked throughout Southern California and took a seven-day trip in the Sierras, which included climbing up 14,500-foot Mount Whitney. When our kids were four and...
For me, summer is a time of rest. And evaluation. Needless to say, I very much look forward to the rest. Evaluation? It feels a little like going to the dentist. I know it’s good for me, but I'm a little afraid of what I might learn. Evaluation means exercising the discipline of...
My mom has repeatedly said, “You’re so reactive. You need to calm down before you speak or act.” She once told my husband, Jesus, “With Mary, just let her react. Don’t fight back. She gets that way, but afterwards, she’ll know she was wrong.&rdquo...
There is a truly striking delphinium plant growing right outside my front door this season. I feel free to offer it such praise because I take nearly no credit for its growth or beauty. I think I remember cutting back the long brown remains of last summer’s growth sometime in...
I was a teacher for 19 years. When I first started out, the pay was pretty skimpy, but after all of this time, I managed to build up a solid salary. I bought a house, I have a car, and I enjoy going out to lots of fancy restaurants. For a variety of reasons, I’d...
For the past few years, my perspective on life has been shaped by the expectation that my entire life has been preparing me for what’s coming next. The progression in my mind goes something like this: Figure out I want to study sociology --> Get a degree from Cal -->...
Keep me safe, O God,I’ve run for dear life to you.I say to God, “Be my Lord!”Without you, nothing makes sense.Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.As for the godly ones in the land, they are the true nobility,in whom is all my delight...