Bear Fruit With Patience

This piece was written for the February issue of our church newsletter, Grace & Peace. Each year, I get a little better at remembering to plant bulbs. I wait until the garden has fallen asleep and the late chrysanthemums have stopped blooming, those first few frosts biting at their heads and turning them gray. One … Continue reading Bear Fruit With Patience

Mrs. Rosalie

It was my parents’ idea to drop me off for the day at Mrs. Rosalie’s duplex in town. I wanted to learn how to sew a pair of palazzo pants, and Mrs. Rosalie had worked as a seamstress most of her life. Instead of plopping me in front of a YouTube video, my dad dropped … Continue reading Mrs. Rosalie

Christmas Paperwhites & a Porch Swing

"No ear may hear His coming,but in this world of sin,where meek souls will receive Him still,the dear Christ enters in." A storm of blackbirds descending on the neighborhood and chattering in the trees Climbing into our big, dark attic and Jared hanging my porch swing Early morning Bible study and conversations by the fire … Continue reading Christmas Paperwhites & a Porch Swing

O Little Town

One December, a few weeks before Christmas, I went down to the square of my hometown to pass out flyers for a Christmas event at my church. I grew up several miles outside of town, so I didn’t frequent the block very often, except for the parade on Memorial Day every year. All the shops … Continue reading O Little Town

In the Waiting Room

This piece was written for the December issue of our church's newsletter, Grace & Peace. One day a few years ago, I found myself sitting on the first floor of a doctor’s building, talking to a lady named Darlene. It was a few weeks before Christmas, and rain was blowing against the big windows, wet … Continue reading In the Waiting Room