Grit with Grace

Rhythms in life feel familiar and welcomed. Newness awaits. 2017 was the year of Wonder(Full). It was intended to be full of wonder, full of busyness, and wonderful. And it lived up to its name.   In 2017, I ran a marathon, got published, taught a course, completed a year of doctoral work, survived a…

Iceberg

I feel like an iceberg. Not because I’m cold, remote, or danger-prone, but because people only see about 10% of me. Icebergs barely pop their tops above the water-line. They look small, cute, and manageable. But people miss the 90% lying just below the waterline. For me, this is especially true at work. I am…

Our Crazy English Language

Yes, I’m nerdy. I freely, and of my own accord read a book about the English language, linguistics, history, and the evolution of language. Here’s a small tidbit that made me smile. “Language, never forget, is more fashion than science, and matters of usage, spelling and pronunciation tend to wanter around like hemlines.” The Mother…

The Breakfast Club

I’m a movie geek. I love movies. Watching them. Analyzing them. Listening to commentaries. And above all, quoting them. There are few situations in life that don’t remind me of some show or movie scene. I quote movies obsessively. So much so that after I speak a particularly well-crafted sentence, more than one person has…

The Poisonwood Bible

I have a 45 minute commute to work. So I enjoy my car time by listening to stories, by getting lost in another world to and from work. I just finished The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. It tells the story of one family’s journey in, with, and through their crucible in Africa in the…

Valor’s Quote of the Day

Picture this: Mom and Kelly in the front seat and Valor and Percy safely strapped in the back; we stop quickly at a yellow light. Valor removes his thumb from his mouth to exclaim, “Mom! I just felt inertia in my body because the car stopped, but my body kept going.” He then replaces his…