Cozy. It’s become so much more than a word for me, so much more than a way to decorate and design. It is now a way of life, of approaching the world and the choices we make within it. These days, especially, I find that coziness is less about paint colors, linens, and lighting—though I…
Perched on my kitchen barstool, eyes fixed on my laptop screen, I opened a Word document and prepared to write. But social media beckoned, Come see what your friends are doing. Advertisements enticed, Come see what’s on sale. Click bait urged, Stop and read this article. An hour later, my Word doc was still blank….
Recently, my relationship with God has felt more like a checklist item than something living and vibrant. The fault is mine. I haven’t been to church in over a month, partly due to traveling but also due to our family’s struggle to find a church where we feel a sense of belonging. We want to…
In the Book of Habakkuk, we read the prophet’s expressions of grief. But unlike most of the prophets, Habakkuk journals his laments directly to God. In three short chapters, Habakkuk questions God’s character in some familiar ways. First, he questions God’s goodness because of all the evil, injustice, and tragedy in the world. Like any…
In her poem “The Suitor,” Jane Kenyon wrote a line that stops me short every time. It’s nestled there between stanzas, a short sentence crafted to stand alone between visual breaths. “Suddenly, I understand that I am happy.” Kenyon struggled with anxiety and depression throughout her short life, before succumbing to cancer in her mid-40s….
During spring break, my family and I went to Florida, spending our days at the hotel pool, which was packed with people. I didn’t mind. People-watching is one of my favorite pastimes. And the people-watching that week was broadly diverse. Young to old. Pale to dark brown. English to “I have no clue what they…