Fresh Prose...
"Grant that we may never forget that our common life depends on each other's toil." Book of Common Prayer
How do you see it, Jesus?
What were you doing at age 31? IJM founder and CEO Gary Haugen was just 31 when he found himself in Kigali, Rwanda to bear witness to the graves of 800,000 Tutsi civilians hacked to death by their Hutu neighbors. As an attorney with the US Department of Justice and...
Falling in love — again
Late last year, my husband Peter found the boat of our retirement dreams. A boat that was every bit as "old" as we are! Our new-to-us Wasque was built in Martha's Vineyard in 1980, just a few years before Peter and I were married in Wilmington, Delaware. Since then,...
Picnic metaphysics
I am a picnic outfitter by trade. Did you know? For six years, I ran a brick-and-mortar shop called Vintage Picnic in a small fishing village near the Chesapeake bay. We stocked everything for the perfect picnic – save for food and drink....
Clearing stones (and souls)
Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. Jer. 6:16. I love Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis). Period full stop. It is a great edge plant...
Deeper things
Last night Maryland Public Television aired a documentary entitled, "Kent County’s Storied Landscape: Place – Past and Present." Since I have three generations buried in Kent County and my husband hails from Chestertown, the county seat, we watched eagerly for...
Sad little girls
I had the distinct pleasure of dining at a premier eating facility last week: My 7-year old granddaughter's elementary school cafeteria. I admit to feeling immediately anxious when it was suggested that I should spend 25 minutes in a lunch room with Sally and 55...
To all things, a season
Was King Solomon thinking about closing a business when he wrote: There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,a time to kill and a...
Legal limits
That Saturday in late January it was still open season. Per day that meant 6 ducks, no more than: 2 mallards (only one can be a hen)3 woodducks2 canvasback1 pintail2 redheads1 scaup1 fulvous tree duck1 mottled duck4 sea ducks (no more than 3 scooters)3 longtailed...
Crazy Advent Hope
Adapted from a talk given on November 17, 2022 to the women of Christ Church Vienna. Let’s start with the proper Advent greeting: “Happy new year!” Wait what, you’re saying! I haven’t even bought a turkey – not to mention Christmas gifts – and you’re talking about New...
Desperately seeking shared meaning
Do you remember playing Whisper Down the Lane as a kid? I do. We all thought it was hilarious how a message communicated at one end of the circle could end up so garbled at the other. As adults, we know this isn't just a game. Communications can be one of the most...