My lesson plans are filled with reflection activities as I try to guide my almost middle schoolers to think about what they have learned over the course of their elementary year. We are asking questions like, “What did you learn that you will always remember? What advice do you have for the rising 5th graders? …
During Eastertide, we are engaging in a series on Creation Care. We are asking the questions: What does it mean to live at peace with the natural world around us? Does practicing peace in this way change the way we interact and relate to others? This past Sunday, we looked at Genesis 2 when Creator …
When Jesus first appears to his disciples after the resurrection in the gospel of John, he says, “Peace be with you.” I’ve been thinking a lot about that greeting that Jesus shared with his disciples and that we use as a way to call ourselves together at the beginning of worship. I’ve been wondering about …
For the first time in a very long time, I was able to attend an Easter morning sunrise service. We were at the beach and there was a service within walking distance. As we walked onto the beach with our six-year-old, I felt immediately at peace. The sun was rising over the ocean, people were …
A year ago, we passed our neighbors who are gardening goddesses. Their yard always looks and smells amazing and is filled with birds and rabbits who come to find sanctuary. I said in passing how much I loved their aloe plants that had grown so large they had taken up a whole corner of their …
Here we are starting another week in this strange new life. The aspect of this new living that has been so surprising to me is how quickly we have adapted. I now keep masks and masks or some kind of covering for the kids in my car on the rare occasion we drive through to …
Two days in the last week, I have spotted a heron flying overhead. I knew there several herons in the area because we have been swapping wildlife stories with our four-year-old’s teacher and she saw one, too. During this time of staying at home, I keep waiting for a sign or a revelation, something that …
I am always struck that the women go to check the tomb and attend to the body of Jesus “at early dawn.” Just as the world is starting to wake up, they are starting to wake up to the miracle that Christ has risen. I have to be honest with two young children who often …
This morning the four-year-old looked out the window and said, “Mama, things are different now.” I let his profound statement hang in the air for just a little bit before responding. “Yeah, they are buddy. What were you thinking about?” “Well, well, I mean like no with homeschooling and everything is different.” I wonder sometimes …
Since we have more time in the mornings, I have switched my coffee from a Keurig to a French Press. It takes longer to fix a cup of coffee, but it’s so much better. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time, but there just wasn’t time in the rush of …
