“I’m in a haunted place, and every day is a new one.”
Ed Madden
This quote is from a FaceBook post by my friend, Ed Madden, whose evocative poetry finds its way into his everyday conversations. In this instance, he was describing his stay with his aging parents in rural Arkansas, where he grew up. It is a recognition of how the past waits for us to rediscover it, as we make geographical or emotional journeys to visit where we have been. (more…)
“My world began on the way to school.”
As small children, our first experiences of the world beyond our families were at school – and even before that, on the way to school. Carrying our lunch box or our book bag, some of us walked through our neighborhood with our parents or friends. Others rode their bikes. Many of us boarded a big yellow school bus. A few of us were driven to school in cars.
What do you remember about walking or riding to school? (more…)
“It was time to make a move.”
Drawers emptied. Boxes stacked. Truck packed. Address changed. Friends hugged. Map ready. Heart uncertain.
Moving from one place to another is a universal experience. (more…)
School’s Out for Summer!
If you have young people in your life, you know what makes the last week of May special: it is the end of the school year. University students have finished their exams, high school students are handing in final projects and elementary students are enjoying relay days and field trips. In classrooms everywhere, there is excitement in the air: for the next twelve weeks, no homework!
And it’s not just the kids who are excited. Parents are happy too. (more…)
“Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving,
make every day a holiday and celebrate just living. “
Amanda Bradley
On this clear cold day with the sun’s glow waking my winter world, December is a perfect time to enjoy a spiritual lift. The cloudless sky seems to open to heaven itself, and outside my wind chimes are ching-chinging a cheerful song. With sunshine glossing the frost, the trees and birds and rocks and water are rejoicing along with me!
I think about how the month of December is a gift for the spirit, full of holiday cheer and family gatherings. Around the world, it is a time of spiritual celebration: Jewish Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice, Christmas, the Muslim New Year, and the African American days of Kwanzaa, among others. I like to think about how, in places far and near, the world is affirming that God is good, people are worth loving and life is a gift. (more…)
“I love that simple story that ends on a grace note,
and you go, ‘Wow, I’m just happy to be alive right now.’”
Cameron Crowe
We all love a story; here’s a chance to hear one!
As much as the economy needs a boost, the Friday after Thanksgiving can be more than a shopping frenzy (who thought up the frightening title Black Friday for a day people are buying gifts anyway!?). Friday, November 27, 2009, is the second annual National Day of Listening, a day to spend time in conversation with someone you care about! Sponsor National Public Radio and the event’s founder suggest we use the day to each become autobiographers, interviewing people in our lives to document their stories. (more…)
The best part of living in a small town…
Yesterday, I had lunch in Honey Grove, Texas. I was speaking to the Friends of the Library there, a group of 75 people dedicated to supporting the public library in a community of descendants of farming families. Some had lived there all their lives, but many have retired from successful careers to this struggling town of historic buildings and fond memories. My topic was Celebrating Small Town Life — (more…)
“When a teenager wants to learn to drive, don’t stand in her way!”
There are many rites of passage for kids growing up in America in the past half century: the first day of school, spending the first night away from home, learning to ride a bike. With each experience, adults help children move away from the safety of home to acquire new skills. Each event is an important step towards independence — that ultimate goal of childhood!
Another of those experiences most of us remember is learning to drive. (more…)
