Confession: I don’t believe in praying that God would arrange the world around my private needs, but at times my philosophies and prayers fly mingled out the car window. (You wouldn’t think that the car window would be open in February, but I assure you that at times it is. It’s better than the resident […]
Confession: My husband and I* cannot navigate in Holmes County. *We are together for better or for worse. Otherwise I might have to point out, as I did in the moment, that it wasn’t I who … but I digress. It doesn’t help that all the roads were originally cowpaths. Cows are great at finding
Confession: The only thing worse than seeing someone for the last time is not seeing someone for the last time. It wasn’t my grandpa after all. Someone had taken him away and left a wax effigy; not a very good one, though they obviously tried. The cheeks and mouth were all wrong. And the hands
Hard workin hands. Logger man hands. I remember how they felt around mine when I was seven, tagging along on his errands. I remember how they looked holding the whoopie pies I baked him, their smooth circles dwarfed by his huge fingers. All of his sons were big sturdy men with hands to match, but
The best part about Grandpa Read More »
“In the beginning, O God, your Spirit swept over the chaotic deep like a wild wind and creation was born. In the turbulence of my own life and the unsettled waters of the world today let there be new birthings of your Spirit. In the currents of my own heart and the upheavals of the
Words from a friend Read More »
Confession: You already know this about me–sometimes I write about caterpillars when I can’t write about cataclysm. My grandfather is dying today (my only grandpa, pillar around which my earliest memories twine), and my sister is in the ER for the third time in a week (my only sister, oh my sister). I hold this
I watched a baker layer silk on velvet. Fresh raspberries, cream, chocolate. Hazelnut, liqueur, and curls. Decadence on a plate, flawlessly arranged. Tantalizing. Perfect. A hundred and six comments. You will never be a great cook. I watched an author sculpt wonder with his words. Awaken feeling. Evoke character. Wrap sense and subtlety in layers
Confession: I love chocolate. Warm, melting chocolate–doubly so. Here’s a sweet suggestion for a child’s Valentine; needless to say, not original with me. Valentine’s Day is a lover’s holiday. But sometimes it’s fun to make the day special for little people. Do you share crafts or treats with children this time of year?
Valentine chocolate spoons Read More »
When my friend Amy walked into The Sweet Shop* that day, she stepped with the confident mien of one who knew from experience how great these gals’ cakes were. She’d ordered two before. The little mom-and-pop operation in downtown Meadville produces made-from-scratch, delectable chunks of sweetness, prettily custom-decorated. What could be better? The Sweet Shop
Oh my word. I think that came out wrong. I meantasay, shopping for *gifts* for guys. ***** Confession: I think men are impossibly difficult to buy gifts for. I don’t understand this about myself. I love giving gifts. I love selecting gifts. I love brainstorming gifts. But when holiday time rolls around for my husband,