I love to travel. I love seeing new places and coming home packed with memories to savor. But often I don’t sleep well on trips, even when we stay in the best hotels. Whether our days are full of sightseeing, hiking, and shopping, or sleeping late and laying by the pool, I never fully let…
Tag: Coronavirus
The Rhythm of the Days
What was the rhythm of my days, in the Time Before? I can hardly recall. There was an alarm clock, I know—the same 1992 Sony Dream Machine that still sits, silent now, on my bedside table—and I used to set it for 6:15. There was blundering into the shower and wrapping a dish towel around…
4 Things Helping Me to Wait Well
“One, two, three! Blow!” Her little lips pursed as she blew with all her might. The small hand grasped the slender green stem. The sweet air from her breath brushed my cheek. We watched in delight as the dandelion fluff caught the wind and slowly sailed away. Some pieces flew up into the blue sky, seeming to wave…
10 Ways to Make Each Day Count (Coronavirus Lockdown Edition)
Many people have responded to this crisis in destructive ways—theft, aggression, addiction, abuse, greed, despair, and suicide. But positivity is also on the rise. Here are ten great ways people are filling their extra, or at least redefined, time at home: Projects People are digging in— getting rid of stuff, finishing projects they haven’t had…
Five Once-a-Day Practices To Care For Your Soul During COVID
When normal changes suddenly, we flounder. Like a girl learning to swim who is suddenly required to jump in the deep end, our heart rates race, and all we learned before evaporates in the panic. We flail, our arms and legs somehow moving enough to get us to the side of the pool, though we…
Safe at Home
Right now my family and I might have been reclining on a beach in Mexico with extended family, reconnecting in the sun and surf after too many months apart. Instead, a chill Oregon drizzle drips from my windows and I haven’t left my house in days. I have to check the calendar to figure out…
You Are Essential
If someone in your household is a first responder, health care worker, in the food industry, a trucker, or mechanic (and many others I haven’t listed) they are essential for keeping our society functioning. Most of our “essentials” are working long hours, minimally staffed, and dangerously exhausted. We are praying non-stop for God to grant…
A Different Call
“What do I know to be true about God?” This was the question that continually ran through my mind as I walked through my garden. The spring sunshine was beating down on the damp earth and there were glimpses of green shoots reaching for the blue canopy above. Daffodils were blooming and birds were flitting…
Against the Odds—A Reflection on Gideon and Covid-19
I was talking on the phone to our accountant just as things with COVID-19 were starting to get serious. We were both sharing some of our concerns about how school and business closures will affect families and businesses. I shared the comfort that has been on my mind lately—the story of Gideon defeating the Midianites. …
Anchored Voices 