Tree of Life
I knew there was something special about her, the first time I saw her standing solitaire on that grassy bluff a year ago. She fascinated me, maybe more than the grizzlies across the Shelikof Strait from her, stuffing themselves on salmon as I stood not twenty feet away. Last September, I watched her blown about […]
Harvesting Goodness
There were no cell towers—only a satellite phone on the arch of an island known as Harvester in Shelikof Strait, a thirty minute skiff ride from Kodiak’s Larsen Bay where our bush plane landed. The Fields family are the only human inhabitants on this bit of Alaskan wilderness. They spend every summer setting salmon nets, […]
When Life Hits Hard and You Wonder How to Hold On
A blur hangs over our farm. I think the sky is crying. Teardrops hang from pastures wired. Webbed strands dangle from spruce looking fragile. I know better. Appearances often deceive . . . What looks most fragile is most strong. Yet, I wonder. I think of myself—my whole life—especially these past twelve months. How […]
Joy and Suffering
Each summer, it seems, the thunderclouds roll in, all dark and full from the west, ready to burst. And they do. They are hovering and the rains will pour, again. Each summer, I feel the heaviness of August afternoon heat and humidity beating down. Too soon, weeds seem to have grown three feet, I swear, […]
Singing in the Rain (and Fog)
Will it never end? We’ve been living in a fog for so long I’ve lost count of the days. The ground is so saturated from rains I squish my way to the barn, thinking my front lawn has now become a bog. I feel like I’m starting to mold! We’re staring down July 4 a week away […]
A Field Trip to Remember
I picked her up at 4 PM sharp, that precious daughter of ours. Through all these past tough weeks of trying to stabilize thoughts and emotions, she went to work cleaning up others’ messes and just the plain old dirt that accumulates in life. At least the messes she cleans CAN be cleaned up. Some […]
Pink Hat
It’s all about what you wear . . . We left the farm for a day. Our youngest, a freshman in high school, is on spring break. Unlike many around here who fly south to get some sun and warmth we’re all itching for in Wisconsin, we go north every spring. Apparently, that’s crazy, so […]
The Best Gift Ever
So here we are, days away from celebrating THE special delivery. And we’ve been lighting a new wax taper every Sunday this month—the first representing HOPE—the second, PEACE—and the third, JOY. And this morning in church, the fourth candle which represents LOVE—was touched with flame by a boy dressed as a magi. We watched the wick […]
Seeds of Courage
Courage. That’s what I need. And comfort. My heart hurts. And rest. I’m soul tired. Courage. Comfort. Rest. Where do I go? I went to the lake—to our cottage on Lake Michigan, just ten miles north of our home. I went alone after church on Sunday because I craved solitude and quiet more than I’ve […]
Uncontainable Beauty
We walked our trails together yesterday afternoon, Todd and I. Peregrine falcon floated on southeast breeze, surveying the fields for a mouse. Yellows of ash, maple reds, burnt orange of oak, and evergreen pines, spot-lit by sun, back-dropped in blue. I tried to absorb every bit of wonder. Sight of stained glass monarch wings. Smell of crisping autumn leaves. […]
Body Parts
My right hand is sore and partially purple from my fling with the Kitchen Aid mixer last night. Yes, I flipped the wrong lever while trying to remove the paddle and nearly mixed off my hand with the whirling. Thankfully, I pulled the plug on myself immediately, ending my misery and stopping what could have […]
All I Know
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. These words were in my mind as I woke this morning looking out our bedroom window over paddock with horses blurred in fog and raised sun haloed, beams dissipated by water droplets floating. Autumn. My favorite season—one of many reasons I […]