I remember where I was sitting when I got the idea. In the middle of a writing workshop on time and place in memoir. How to deal with challenges of chronology and context. As often happens, my mind leapt from the question at hand to a brand-new idea. What about a book on the times and places that God meets us? I mentally wandered away the class for fifteen minutes, scribbling in the back of my notebook. Metaphors and memories, stories from Scripture and stories from our lives. On the road. In the desert. At home. In the storms. I scanned the list, satisfied. Something there, for sure. But I remembered my own time and place, turned back to the teacher, closed the notebook, and forgot all about it. Until Jenna and I got to talking about Lent last year. Thanks to the work of a team of beautiful writers and a brilliant designer, that book is now brought to life. Here, Too: Where We Meet God is the Blessed Is She Lent book for 2020. A journey through seven places … [Read more...] about Here, Too: the new Lent book
the wisdom of unknowing
If you have young children in your life, odds are good you have recently sat in a movie theatre strewn with popcorn, listening to a snowman sing: See, that will all make sense when I am older,So there's no need to be terrified or tense.I'll just dream about a timeWhen I'm in my aged prime'Cause when you're olderAbsolutely everything makes sense! I roared with laughter, spilling the popcorn bucket, and nearly every adult in the theatre did the same. Because what could be further from the truth? . . . Last night, our 5 year-old (bedecked in Olaf pajamas and clutching a stuffed snowman to his chest) interrupted his own rendition of the song to ask me quite seriously: Is it true? Does it all make sense when you are older? I laughed out loud again. No, I told him. When I was a kid, I used to think so. I thought adults had it all figured out. I thought I would know a lot more by now. Turns out I have a lot more questions as a grown-up. It doesn't all make sense when … [Read more...] about the wisdom of unknowing
looking back, looking forward
I have no shame in confessing: I love New Year's. It's a holiday that many love to hate, artificial or over-hyped. But I adore looking back and looking forward, pondering what was and planning for what might be. (I also love champagne, resolutions, countdowns, goofy party hats, and cheesy crowd songs at midnight. So this time of year is my JAM.) As part of my New Year's affection, I will read any top-10 round-up. Movies I didn't see, books I didn't read, sports I didn't follow? Who cares. I love a good best-of. So for my own amusement, I pulled together a review of the most-read posts on Mothering Spirit in 2019. But first: a preview of what's new for 2020 Big changes are on the horizon. A new baby due in March, and lots of shifting our lives around to make room for him. As our family grows, I've been deep in discernment. How can I keep making time for the writing I love while still caring for the family that also calls me? That's where you come in. In … [Read more...] about looking back, looking forward
the day before Christmas
Wherever they are, they have traveled far. Not at home, known and comfortable. Not on the road, exhausted from the journey. Arrived but unsettled. No room in the expected places, no welcome in the usual way. Whatever they expect, they can only imagine. Preparation leads to prayer's edge: picturing what might be, trusting what could come, unknowing until inhabited. They have seen the shift to parenthood from outside, but never for themselves. They cannot know until they arrive. However she feels, today is the last day like this. Feeling his kicks and squirms, marveling at the stretch of her skin, carrying the heaviest weight her body will hold. Tomorrow will bring transformation for both of them. Whatever she knows, control is not hers. Mysterious forces guide birth, and his will be the most sacred. Turns out the baby's lungs trigger labor, the pneuma within us, the Spirit wanting to breathe. However tomorrow looks, it will turn upside down. Scripture does not mention a … [Read more...] about the day before Christmas
