The surprising place that ugly sometimes comes from

Thumbnail image for The surprising place that ugly sometimes comes from August 10, 2011

We’re talking about beauty this week. And as I sit and watch my oldest-about-to-turn-six-year-old son at Tae Kwon Do all lean and long, lithe graceful limbs – this strong, man of a boy – an image of him as a newborn superimposes itself on the Jackson I see before me. Suddenly I’m back in a [...]

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The one where I’m delayed in Chicago (again)

August 2, 2011

I sit here in my tired high heels that I trade in for flip flops at a boarding gate waiting on the flight that’s been delayed. It’s been a grand two days of dreaming big and beautiful visions for (in)courage with the DaySpring team and my heart is full of the wonder of being useful. [...]

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Why you should be kind to the mom on your flight

Thumbnail image for Why you should be kind to the mom on your flight August 1, 2011

When I board the plane and see her and the toddler in my row the first thing I think is, “Thank goodness I wasn’t rude or irritable when I saw them earlier in the restroom.” Because we will be close companions now for the next hour and a half. She’s juggling all those adorable baby [...]

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Just the best advice I ever got about love

Thumbnail image for Just the best advice I ever got about love July 26, 2011

We spent almost all of our first year together apart. This South African girl was stateside at college and her Midwest all-American guy was in Europe learning the ways of books older than either of us and cultures more ancient than the books. I made a strange discovery in the midst of my missing him. [...]

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This post brought to you by jet lag and chocolate

Thumbnail image for This post brought to you by jet lag and chocolate July 25, 2011

We’ve been back since Wednesday last week. We just finally finished unpacking tonight. And only because there was an assortment of my favorite jams, candies and cookies buried beneath the layers of clothes. Jet lag still has me hitting the sheets by 9pm and I’m not quite at a “stringing pretty sentences together” again yet [...]

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Five Minute Friday: Full

Thumbnail image for Five Minute Friday: Full July 22, 2011

On Fridays around these parts we like to write. Not for comments or traffic or anyone else’s agenda. But for pure love of the written word. For joy at the sound of syllables, sentences and paragraphs all strung together by the voice of the speaker. We love to  just write without worrying if it’s just [...]

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A quick crash course in surviving good-bye

Thumbnail image for A quick crash course in surviving good-bye July 18, 2011

I lie in bed and hear them come clumping, laughing, stomping up the stairs. The weak, wintery African sun is just easing her way over the horizon and only children and dogs are brave enough to be up and at ‘em this cold in the morning. “Come on, Oupa,” they yell in delight. “You gotta [...]

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How to help a daughter grieve {a more than five minutes post}

Thumbnail image for How to help a daughter grieve {a more than five minutes post} July 15, 2011

{Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about Five Minute Friday. It’s just that my days in the Southern hemisphere are few and my memories and words in this place are many. So I need more than five minutes this week. But the link up for your beautiful five minute moments is below. Link up; I love [...]

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Because daughters and dads can be complicated

Thumbnail image for Because daughters and dads can be complicated July 14, 2011

The year after my mother died I couldn’t sleep. I would dread bedtime, dragging feet toward the inevitable. Empty hours stretched ahead of me and I couldn’t see my way toward the sunrise; the night was dark and dense and filled with loneliness. I hated to be the only person awake in the house. I [...]

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Never to old to grow up

Thumbnail image for Never to old to grow up July 12, 2011

She’s the last patient of the day at my father’s medical practice and she’s pregnant with her first child. She’s polite. She nods in our direction. And she’s about to leave when my dad says, “you have to meet my daughter, Lisa-Jo.” She stops on a dime and her beautiful face breaks into a mile [...]

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