Stop. Look. Remember.

God might just be making beauty from ashes, refashioning a gift out of a deep injury to my soul. This morning on our walk, Jim and I talked about our dawning realization that our energies and capacity for looking outward are returning, after several years of crisis and trauma related to our daughter Jackie’s health. … Continue reading Stop. Look. Remember.

Paradox, Part II: Solitude and Community

I’m fascinated by something I’ve been reading lately by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  It’s this paradox: “Whoever can not be alone should beware of community; whoever cannot stand being in community should beware of being alone” (from Life Together, 82-83).  Willa Cather says something similar: “Only solitary men know the full joys of friendship” (Shadows on the… Continue reading Paradox, Part II: Solitude and Community

The Gift of Presence

My family and I moved recently to colorful, gritty, spunky and historic Baltimore— “Charm City.” Our earnest desire is to plant ourselves here and not move again for a long, long time—as in decades. As such, we are doing careful research into where we want to buy a house, where we want to send our… Continue reading The Gift of Presence