Magical Memoir Moments
What Hath John L. Ruth to Do with Hillary R. Clinton?
Mennonite historian and storyteller John L. Ruth doesn’t usually wade into national politics. So I was surprised to find the photo below on p. 376 of his book Branch: A Memoir with Pictures. Not since H. S. Bender announced Marilyn Monroe’s suicide at the 1962 Mennonite World Conference has a more surprising juxtaposition occurred. In…
The Shadow Side of Birthdays: The Side We Can’t See
I grew up listening to “Keep On the Sunny Side” as I helped to milk cows morning and night. It was the intro to the local radio station’s country and gospel music program. I never saw the Carter Family in person, but here is Mother Maybelle and her famous guitar and famous daughters. Look at…
Two Volunteers Who Make This July Special
A volunteer sunflower and a volunteer interview fill me with joy in my favorite month of July. See post below to see both!
The Things They Didn’t Carry: Grandparent Jubilación
After the grandchildren leave, the house heaves a sigh. Some of the objects left behind carry the stories and await the next visit.
Everything that Rises Must Converge: Naming What Rises
Adult children visits, Celtic Pilgrimage, writing assignments, family vacations, and preparation for a fellowship in the fall. All these promising events are rising or are about to rise. How to help them converge? I made a decision.
Seeking Wisdom: A Lifelong Quest
If you rubbed a magic oil lamp and Aladdin offered you only one wish, what would it be? I’d ask for wisdom. The story of King Solomon, who famously chose wisdom, made a deep impression on my in my youth, and later I prayed often for wisdom as a mother, teacher, and college president. In…
Stop! And Listen! — David Whyte, Krista Tippett, and Jubilación
Poet David Whyte believes that a beautiful question shapes a beautiful mind. Krista Tippett’s interview with Whyte inspired this assertion: I believe elders have invisible but beautiful new questions to live out in our time.
Dream Job: How Do You Define It? Find it?
Yale professor Amy Wrzesniewski says job satisfaction and life satisfaction are enhanced by a sense of being called. Furthermore, callings don’t have to be magic. They can be crafted to enhance the fit between self and work.
Thin Places: Where Earth and Heaven Touch
“You don’t plan a trip to a thin place; you stumble upon one.” —Eric Wiener Twenty years ago I set out on a journey to England hoping to experience what I had read about in books. I eagerly anticipated the Wordsworth Winter School in the Lake District where I imagined striding through the atmospheric fells…
Odyssey: Two New Stages of Life
The columnist David Broder gobsmacked me this week with these words: There used to be four common life phases: childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. Now, there are at least six: childhood, adolescence, odyssey, adulthood, active retirement and old age. Of the new ones, the least understood is odyssey, the decade of wandering that frequently…