If you were to ask my younger sister and illustrator if there was anything tentative in me with respect to the title of what is now Songs of Assent, she would begin her humorous romp through every title that was, in its season, the absolute right one. I had nine months of writing to name this creative baby...and it took… Continue reading Reorienting
Category: Biography
Riding a Rollercoaster on a Wave: Part 1
Sometimes life needs more than one metaphor. My sister, Pam, and I constructed “riding a rollercoast on a wave” in one of those seasons where neither metaphor was sufficient in itself. Growing up playing on the sand of Lake Michigan and sitting on the rocks above Lake Superior, I love waves. I hate rollercoasters. I dislike the feeling… Continue reading Riding a Rollercoaster on a Wave: Part 1
Roadside Art
Lobster nets on Mohegan Island, Maine The "lobsta" fishermen on Mohegan Island, Maine, take life not as "a problem to be solved, but a medium for creation" (Dorothy Savers, The Mind of the Maker) to a whole new level. During their off-season (which, for reasons of state politics, was already in effect by the beginning… Continue reading Roadside Art
Samwise
I just adopted Samwise, a Poodle/Maltese mix puppy in foster care with a Florida Dog Rescue organization. His mama had been rescued just before she gave birth to my very sweet puppy. I couldn't believe no one else had snapped him up. But this dog was left untouched for six weeks until I saw him… Continue reading Samwise
Scars
Most of us have them. I remember receiving my first one as I split open my left knee while jumping on the thin ice of a not-yet-completely-frozen puddle in rural Minnesota. While my doctor dad stitched up his first grade daughter I simultaneously received verbal instruction on why we don’t jump on icy puddles. I don’t know how… Continue reading Scars
Bent
I've never desired the approval of everyone. Just selected others, others who, in my eyes, really matter. But in conforming to what it takes to retain their approval, I become a distorted image bearer of my God. C.S. Lewis calls this condition “bentness.” When I assume this bent posture I live for the approval of others, rather than… Continue reading Bent
Shining Tears
“But please, please—won’t you—can’t you give me something that will cure Mother?” Up till then he had been looking at the Lion’s great feet and the huge claws on them; now, in his despair, he looked up at its face. What he saw surprised him as much as anything in his whole life. For the… Continue reading Shining Tears
Storm
I suppose my Maine stories will eventually dwindle. Apparently not yet. My friends and I had been gifted with one glorious day after another, but, for me, there was one thing yet lacking as our week drew to a close. I really wanted to see a storm. I was in the little island village on… Continue reading Storm
Sunset Spirituality
Our new home in Florida faces west, with a bog between our patio and the tops of these trees. I looked up from reading one evening and the sky was on fire. I grabbed my phone and snapped away. I was not prepared for the explosive beauty I captured so effortlessly in that moment. I… Continue reading Sunset Spirituality
Tasting and Longing (Psalm 84)
I can't find the taste I remember. For several months my colleagues and I would gather at a mentor's home where she served us her favorite tea. It was the cleanest, deepest flavor I had ever tasted. I drank my first and last cup of this tea over twenty-five years ago. I've been looking for… Continue reading Tasting and Longing (Psalm 84)
Carla Waterman 