Curiosity Journal: a weekly recap of what I’ve been reading, playing and learning; what I’m reacting to and writing. Inspired by Monica of Paper Bridges, I'm occasionally recording a Curiosity Journal. Tag words are: reading, playing, learning, reacting...and writing.Reading: One Thousand Gifts by Ann VoskampJust about done reading Ann V's book. The world is a richer place … [Read more...]
Mega Memory Month 2011 Final Celebration
Mega Memory Month January 2011 Final CelebrationIt's the last day of the month, January 31st, and Mega Memory Month comes to a close.Let’s share our projects, our progress, our successes...no matter how much or how little you were able to absorb. Seriously, every word is progress. Link up your posts via Simply Linked or create something to publish on the Facebook Event … [Read more...]
MMM 2011 Progress Report #2
Welcome to Mega Memory Month (MMM) Progress Report #2.If you're just stopping by, it’s definitely not too late to jump in as a Mega Memory Month participant. Just select a passage seven to ten verses (or sentences) shorter than you would have otherwise. It won't be as mega as it might have been, but it can still be plenty big.Progress Report #1Each Progress Report is a … [Read more...]
Tuning In and Out
Yesterday at High Calling Blogs, Michelle of Graceful posted a story about how she was caught fake-listening to her son. As the content editor for this article, I worked with Michelle on the piece and enjoyed a sneak preview. Her topic has caused me to monitor my listening skills (or lack thereof) for a few days now.I've also been particularly honest and respectful in … [Read more...]
End of an Era
We used to live in a town with a gorgeous library that I've used and loved since 1988. When we moved a few miles away to our new house eleven years ago, we discovered with shock and dismay that we're just over the line in another library's district. We loved and used our original library so much, we actually paid an annual fee that allowed us to continue using its … [Read more...]
Let the Laugh Lines Come!
We parents joined the circle of junior high kids to pray together before sending them off on a week-long bicycle trip."Let's have a couple of people pray," the youth pastor said, "and then we'll have Scott close us, because, well, he's the oldest dad here.""Ouch!" one of the adults exclaimed. "Oh, Scott, I'm so sorry!" someone joked.Scott, by the way, is only a little bit … [Read more...]
When "Watch Me, Mama" Gives Way to Individuation
My 14-year-old daughter had a friend over to spend the night last weekend. Due to scheduling conflicts, the girl, a kindred spirit, is rarely available to get together, so it was a treat to have her with us. She came to the soccer game, excitedly cheering for the team.In an extraordinary and unexpected turn of events, my daughter, who usually plays defense, scored a goal! … [Read more...]
Learning to Pray Like a Child
As steam wafted from the bowl of macaroni and cheese, our son would pray.Quite young at the time, maybe four or five, he always requested to pray at mealtime.These prayers lasted a while. Rather than cut him short, I learned to bring lids to the table, cover the food, bow my head, and give him all the time he needed, because who wants to stop an outpouring of … [Read more...]
Ten Random Things I Haven't Mentioned
Sometimes my posts don't reflect my daily life.It's not that I'm hiding anything; it's just that I sometimes don't take time to write about what's happening while it's happening. Instead, I might write about something I've been thinking about or something I've learned. … [Read more...]
Celebrating My Writer-Mom
My mom worked as the editor of our local newspaper, covering news all over the county. If a reporter couldn't make it to an event, Mom would grab her camera, reporter's pad, and pen—and quite often her daughter—to capture the news herself. This meant that whether I wanted to or not, I visited sporting events, live nativity scenes, church bazaars, festivals, fairs, horse … [Read more...]
Imperfect Conditions
"If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done." (Ecclesiastes 11:4, New Living Translation) If I waited for the perfect conditions to develop my writing life, I'd still be waiting. Back in the early 1990s, I did manage to explore writing as my work, as a way of life. I wrote and submitted a few magazine articles and met with … [Read more...]
An Atmosphere of Affirmation
At HighCallingBlogs.com today, Bradley J. Moore of Shrinking the Camel explores the question, "When is Negative Feedback Too Negative?" He spotlighted my post "Reward the Good and Ignore the Bad: Does it Work?"He asks: We know that unhealthy criticism for no good reason can demoralize. But how do you point out negative behaviors if you want to develop people, to help them … [Read more...]
The Collision of Work and Family: Bump
In A Circle of Quiet, Madeleine L’Engle wrote:During the long drag of years before our youngest child went to school, my love for my family and my need to write were in acute conflict. The problem was really that I put two things first. My husband and children came first. So did my writing. Bump.The conflict—or collision—of work and family summed up in a word: Bump.Ouch. … [Read more...]
Wogging the Mini
We're training for a half-marathon with our girls. Boy, has it been hard to drag ourselves out and log the miles. Thursday it was all we could do to make it out and back again for a total of 3.8 miles. And I can't call that outing a run; for that matter, it wasn't even a jog. Part walk/part jog ... I believe we went on a "wog." At any rate, this is our second year training … [Read more...]
Reward the Good and Ignore the Bad: Does It Work?
Not long ago I wrote about Destructive Criticism vs. Healthy Critique when working with writers. The post generated a variety of responses as the conversation continued in the comments. Shepherdsgrace, for example, had a terrific experience in a writing workshop that included input from the professor and classmates. She explained: when I was in college I had the … [Read more...]
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