In the Dark
I've been up since 3:00 am. Not because I wanted to be, mind you, but I just woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. This used to be a big problem for me, and, thankfully, I've made some changes and it's happening much less frequently. Still, I'm no stranger to walking around the house in the dark. Darkness has a way of making you feel confined because you have no way of knowing how much space you really have around you. You can't see very far beyond yourself, or the true reality of your world. I sit here on this sofa, surrounded by darkness, and I can't even see my own feet. Also, have you ever noticed how you can hear sounds at night that you never notice during the day? Right now,...
Life like Tinker Toys
After a beautiful wedding ceremony under our two big cedar elms, graced by such a lovely breeze you'd never have guessed it was actually August, our family enjoyed one of the loveliest afternoons we've had in recent memory. All in all, everything went beautifully, and as the honeymooners drove off, their little gal stayed behind with her Aunt Min (what all the Garman cousins have called me) and Uncle Kevin. Collin is darling, and like most kids that come out here, she thinks being on the ranch is the coolest thing since Spongebob. Being outside holds a great deal of appeal, and there are frogs to hunt down and bugs to consider, not to mention horses and rides on the utility cart. But there...
An Open Birthday Letter to My Daughter
I was enormous and uncomfortable the day you were born. You were very late, after all, and my patience had run thin for you to just get here already, and let me see your face. I was scurrying (as best as a 10 months pregnant woman can) to get ready for you to be induced the next day, but then you decided that you would come that day instead. I've told you before that I should've taken note that you did things on your own terms. I should've paid close attention because it would become your hallmark. You came, fast and furious, bruising your little face in the process, and yet I'd only seen something that beautiful one other time, when your sister was born. I was so relieved and overwhelmed...
A Step in the Right Direction
The other night, Kevin and I were working under the trees where his sister will marry today. I stood on a big, flat stone where she will stand, with her daughter, looking at her groom, and said, "This is a literal step in the right direction for your sister. She will step off of this straight into a beautiful new beginning." Call me a romantic, but I think we need to take stock of things like this. It's like a declaration of a work God has done, like we have noticed it and we are grateful for it. And this is not just any work; this is His specialty: the fresh start, the do-over, the do-better. The thing I love is that God is not just offering occasional second chances. Heck, every...
Let Them Eat Cake
My sister-in-law was out at our place exactly one year ago, this weekend, with her then new-to-us boyfriend. She'd been dating him a while, but none of us had ever met him. We had a nice family get-together, and all really liked him. Apparently they both liked our place really well, too, because fast forward a year, and you find me readying the house for their little reception, following the intimate, morning wedding ceremony they'll share out under the trees tomorrow morning. I love stuff like this; intimate gatherings and important moments. I love to bear witness to someone's stepping off into a whole, new, great direction, knowing in your bones that it's right and good. When I...