I have a photo of myself on the property my parents owned in the small country town where I grew up. In it, I’m six years old, excitedly looking down at the pad of paper and pen my father has loaned me. I’ve donned his signature fishing hat and an oversized jacket, which is zipped…
A couple of years ago, I needed to sew a hem in some pants for my son for his choir concert. At that time, the most sewing experience I had was a semester in seventh grade. I had forgotten most of the basics, and the sewing machine I owned was still in the box. So,…
A year and a half ago, I experienced a debilitating concussion. Not being able to drive, work, or get out of bed shook me to the core in all the ways you’d expect, and it did something more, too. Before the concussion, my intelligence was my identity. I was wise and witty, the one who…
I sit in my first seminary class on a brisk winter afternoon, ecstatic about the opportunity to learn, listening as the professor begins her lecture. She writes a quote by St. Augustine on the whiteboard: “What do I love when I love my God?” Then, in her lilting accent, she talks about how family is…
There’s a concept in mathematics known as fractals. Without getting too far into the weeds with a definition, fractals are self-repeating patterns. Imagine a picture of hundreds of triangles within triangles. Zoom in one aspect of the triangle, and you find the same pattern as the larger picture; the repeating pattern allows you to zoom…
My daughter confessed to me her deepest fears as I tucked her damp hair behind her ear, wet from her rolling tears. “I’m stupid.” “I’m not pretty enough.” “I can’t be perfect!” “No one will like me.” “I shouldn’t even try.” “I’m too skinny.” These phrases were all too familiar. They hail from ancient history,…