Perhaps we can learn more about a building from its looked-over nooks and crannies than from the brass chandeliers in its polished front foyer. How true is this of people? Of ourselves?
Last year sometime, we got a DVD in the mail from the monks at Clear Creek Abbey in Oklahoma, northeast of Tulsa. It shows them going through their days: praying, singing, and working. “Ora et Labora” is one of their mottos: Pray and work. We have no idea why we were sent this. We probably [...]
Beauty in all its imperfection. Not despite. Because of. Due to. None the worse for wear.
Today was Attie’s last day of preschool camp, both a happy and sad occasion. None of us can believe that these four weeks are over already! On his first day, we had to enlist my parents to get him to and from school because it was the day the moving company moved most of our [...]
This year marks the first in many that we won’t be spending the end of July in New York City. Usually, we save up all year long to take a few days alone, Kevin and I, exploring the city. This year, however, all savings went toward a downpayment on our new home. Totally worth it, [...]
It caught my eye as we were walking the other day. A husk. Kevin kicked it. It was empty and brittle. Yeah, I was a little grossed out. It was pretty big, bigger than a quarter. A bug… A shed skin. Something crawled out of there. And it made me think… How often have I [...]
It’s probably more precisely a “curtain shadow,” but that doesn’t sound nearly as cool. Plus, “shadow curtain” points toward that curtain between what we see and what is, the reality behind it. In reality, this is a shadow created by the sun’s pouring through a kitchen window with a curtain above and below. But what [...]
This stoop is about five steps up from the ground, and still this weed finds a way! We need to take a lesson.
Padre Pio-Taormina-Sicilia-Italy – Creative Commons by gnuckx, originally uploaded by gnuckx. “There is a mother who is embroidering. Her son, sitting on a low stool, sees her work, but upside down. He sees the knots of the embroidery, the tangled threads and says, ‘Mother, what are you doing? Your work is not at all clear.’ [...]
Continue reading about Quotation Inspiration: Padre Pio’s Embroidery Parable
This morning, I put the final touches on our Poetry Garden. It’s outside my classroom and is full of flowers that my students decorated with Spring haiku (for the most part). We’ve gotten lots of compliments so far, and it definitely raised my rainy-day spirits. :) Here are some closeups: And here’s my haiku: Tiny [...]
