The year my daughter turned thirteen, she and I stood in line in the dark in a cold, misting rain outside Target on Thanksgiving until the store opened at midnight. She had birthday money burning a hole in her pocket and I agreed to take her to one store. The aisles were lined with televisions, …
Stubborn Older Brother
Not long before he was martyred, Peter wrote, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that God has given us everything we need for living a godly life through the revelation light of Christ, the true and living Word of God. His second epistle reads much like a parent’s passionate appeal to a dear child. …
Get Up, Old Man
My Papa taught me many things over the course of his lifetime. I was barely writing numbers and he was explaining algebra and geometry, not by name but by practical application. He took me to work with him at Cone Mills more than once and proudly showed me how every piece of equipment worked and …
Out of Darkness
My husband and I rewatch television series from decades ago on dvd, mostly detective shows, on evenings when the house is too quiet. The other evening, he asked if I’d like to start a new season and to be honest, I was so tired and it was so dark outside that I almost said no. …
Slanted Reading
“I want to be in your court,” stated two year old Thomas again flatly. I wasn’t understanding and he was clearly frustrated. His mom and I had taken him to see two sisters, students of mine, play basketball a few weeks before so I assumed he was remembering and wanted to talk about that, but …
Unshakeable
This Election Day was different. It passed like any other day for me. I voted early in the day as I have in every Presidential election since I was eighteen. As one gentleman and I agreed as I exited the polling site, voting is both a privilege and a responsibility of citizenship. I thanked each …
Can I Trust You?
My life from age twelve asked, “Can I trust you?” I asked myself this of every human being I encountered, particularly males. Everyone became suspect, even God. I fear I am not alone in my questioning. You have been hurt, have you not? Your trust has been shaken by sickness, circumstance, or sin in the …
The Wrong Side of the Bed
Amelia has never been a great sleeper but at two, her inconsolable acid hours gravitated from evenings to mornings. You just never know whether she will wake all smiles, thoroughly rested and ready for the day or refuse breakfast with wails and sobs that defy consolation. Some mornings she just wakes up on the wrong …
Talking Myself Into It
After a dozen zoo trips in his second year, Thomas decided at three that he would feed the giraffes by himself. I’d held him while the imposing head reached through the rails and the long black tongue snaked out to take the greens from my outstretched hand. He talked about it after each visit, claiming …
Look To The Mountains
Our collective gaze is directed toward the western North Carolina mountains. Places I’ve known and visited as a child- Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, Black Mountain- so recently devastated by a storm that should have never reached their borders, were caught completely off their guard. When Helene stalled out over the Smokies after several days of …
A Fitting Reply 