“His ears were made of real rabbit fur, and beneath the fur, there were strong, bendable wires, which allowed the ears to be arranged into poses that reflected the rabbit’s mood — jaunty, tired, full of ennui.” Kate DiCamillo in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane I hunch over the steering wheel, or the sink, or the weedy garden. I…
Read More
Courage to Use Our Voice
I’m dreaming again. The scenarios are different each night, otherworldly and absurd, but when I open my mouth to speak in my dream-state, the words are inevitably drowned out. In my sleep, my voice is silenced. In my waking, I feel a heaviness that won’t shift. It sits like a thick knot in my throat. In the morning, I re-imagine…
Read More
No Rules in the Kitchen: A Guest Post at Grace Table
My dad raved about my mother’s cooking growing up. He came to the table hungry and she fed more than his stomach, she fed his soul with the southern fare of his youth. Chicken fried steak, gumbo with a homemade roux, and heaping bowls of red beans and rice. She baked dessert every few nights, so our home always held…
Read More
Community Matters
After an afternoon ramble in the sunshine, I checked the mailbox on my walk up to the house. Once inside, I flipped the papers onto the kitchen counter, and a flyer from the local hospital slid out from underneath a pile of junk mail. The words “Community Matters” blinked up at me in brown ink. I’m a Pennsylvania native living…
Read More
The Ministry of a Mini-Van
My husband sat in the driver’s seat and popped his head out of the window, saying, “Say goodbye, this might be the last time you see your car!” I touched the side of the sliding door and said, “Goodbye, faithful friend.” I tried to summon tears, but really, that’s a bit dramatic, even for me, and he drove away. He…
Read More