I’ve watched it all year—the seasonal rhythm of the birds around my house. I saw them arrive in early spring, their triumphant songs spinning into the still-thawing air. I watched them claim their territories and construct their nests, huddling on the treasure of...

I have a special surprise today--an interview with Rachel Leitch, author of the upcoming novella The Odd Duck Society! Rachel and I had a great interview over email about writing, faith, and the importance of friendship, and I can't wait to share it with you all...

Despite my best efforts, I have never been much of a gardener.  This is disappointing to me, because in theory, gardening sounds like the most idyllic of pastimes. In my mind, I can easily insert myself into the backdrop of a Marjolein Bastein painting,...

Looking back now, I can say that it all started when my grandmother received her first iPad.  It wasn’t planned, not at all. In fact, I can’t even remember why she had the iPad at all. Certainly she had no use for it. She continually insisted that she’d...

One night, I stood in the dark and saw the light. It was a crisp, clear evening, and I had been outside finishing some chores while the sunset smudged itself out on the western horizon. By the time I had completed my tasks, the night was fully present, drawing its...

I have a confession to make: the month we are beginning now is one of my least favorite.   Yes, January has an exalted beginning—I’ll grant that. It’s the time of new beginnings. The month when resolutions are written and new chapters begun. The season when...

It was the highest point—in more ways than one.  I was in my early teens, and my family and I were enjoying a hiking trip in the beautiful Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.  We had been exploring dozens of picturesque trails with breathtaking...

“Colorado’s East Troublesome Fire explodes in size” “Colorado fire grows by 140,000 acres in one day” “Rocky faces long road to recovery from East Troublesome Fire” These were some of the tragic headlines in the fall of 2020, when my beloved Colorado Rockies were...

When I look outside, it appears that autumn is colliding with summer. At first glance, summer seems to hold full sway over the landscape.  The temperature is unbearable, like a heavy blanket draped over the gasping world.  Beneath the hazy skies,...

I remember the day I learned to go further. It was many years ago, and my family and I were exploring the Trillium Gap Trail in Tennessee’s beautiful Smoky Mountains.  Having hiked this trail before, we knew it was a popular route, and rightly...

Spring is singing its song, and the chorus spreads throughout the world.   Grass is racing along the hillsides, igniting every hill and hollow in green.  Birds are soaring in from the south—the bushes and trees that were so silent in winter are...

The breath of the January afternoon is cold on the back of my neck.  I shiver and burrow my hands deeper into my coat pockets. It’s no wonder I’m chilly, because I’m sitting cross-legged on the ground, among the silver stubble of dry grass.  I’m...