(2 minutes, 11 seconds) Eleven years ago today, my surgeon—unbeknownst to me—handed me off to a student surgeon who ruined my hip. At an appointment many months after my total hip replacement surgery, when everything was still going steeply south rather than getting better, my doctor leaned in to look…
Five Things You Can Control
January 2025(1 minute, 29 seconds) Stumbling into the Speedy Quick gas station, my husband and I desperately needed caffeine for the nine-hour drive ahead of us. After filling our cups, we waited in line. When I heard, “I can help who’s next,” I absentmindedly stepped forward, ordering without looking up,…
To a Cradle in the Dirt
December 2024(1 minute, 22 seconds) Two years ago, my dear husband was dealt an awful blow.After dedicating nearly 32 years to a company, his position was abruptly eliminated—with no inkling or warning. In an impromptu meeting, his boss, his boss’s boss, and an HR representative delivered the shocking news. They…
I Have a Tail!
(1 minute, 48 seconds) Ever since I heard the embarrassing story of Debbie’s billowy dress getting caught in a fan, I’ve wanted to cultivate a quicker sense of humor and grow in the good habit of thinking less of myself. My friend Jon’s wife, Debbie, attended his high school class…
Calibrating to Your Creator
(1 minute, 29 seconds) I wore winter gloves to a conference a few weekends ago, and by mid-afternoon, I had tucked my mitts into my bag, along with two sweaters. ‘Tis the season when upper mid-westerners like myself must check the weather in the morning before going to our closets…
Like a Flashlight Without Batteries
1 minute, 57 seconds Do you have a circumstance in your life that makes you so scared, vulnerable, or anxious that your heart trembles within you? I’m grateful if this unsteadiness of soul isn’t your current state. At some point, however, you may have fear invade, which may cause your…
Broody Betty
2 minutes 22 seconds Most mornings, I greet my twelve hens by name as I open their little coop door and release them into the bright summer joys of worms and all things yummy and green. Most summer evenings, I “tuck them all in” and gently stroke each one through…
Begin With the Beginner
Building Relationships With Your Adult Children(1 min, 59 seconds) I’m grateful for friendships where we can pass on the small talk and go right to the good and hard. Where we can humbly savor together the sweet places, and honestly confess the painful stuff of life. Such is my new…
Don’t Let Go
1 minute, 59 seconds A high school wrestling match is six minutes long. I know this because, for four of my teenage years, I sat cross-legged on my cheerleading pillow right next to the wrestling mat where I got a close-up view of what it looked like for two men…
The Trumpet Will Sound
1 minute, 27 seconds At one memorable triathlon I competed in, a guy in flip-flops and a captain’s hat initiated the start of our swim. Trumpet in hand, the sandal-clad race director stood near the end of the dock that stretched out into the lake where all of us swimmers…