Time For This
A bald eagle screeched in the distance. A derelict silo broke up the horizon’s striated hues of blue, purple, and pink. My boots sunk into the melted slush covering the dirt road. My four-month-old nestled against me, bundled between my
Listening For The Lullaby
The first time I heard the lullaby, I was getting ice from the dispenser in the nurse’s lounge. I stared up at the white, drop-down ceiling, wondering if two days of sleep-deprivation was messing with my head. The next time I
Valley of Dry Bones
We sat across from each other—our sick four-month-old in my lap, our sick toddler having a meltdown in the living room, a delicious meal before us that I had not prepared. My shorn husband looked so unlike the fierce protector
A New Foundation
I clean blood from behind my husband’s ears with our daughters’ tearless shampoo. Muddy shoes on the front porch, his truck parked where he left it after planting apple trees, putting his t-shirts away and then wearing one just so
The Day That Will Forever Mark Our World
“Where are you?” the nurse asked, shining a flashlight into my husband’s eyes. “La Crosse, Wisconsin.” He winced. “The hospital.” “And why are you here?” “I have a brain tumor,” he said. I turned away—eyes stinging—and stared down at the wet street,
Don’t Judge…Lest You Have The Same Kind of Child
He was a painter with a lazy smile; she was a weaver who wore sweaters that would shrink to child-sized if caught out in the rain. They came into our grocery store at random times of day to buy our
An Unexpected Gift
There is a sense of detachment—almost timelessness—about our new homeplace in the Driftless Region of Wisconsin. I used to have stress dreams about Ebola, but now I have stress dreams about getting my wash in off the line before it
Embracing The Master’s Brush
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Well, this week I tackled painting for the first time in eleven years. We’re not talking Pablo Picasso painting—I’ve never been quite brave enough to tackle that—but the humdrum,
Marriage: Handle With Care
This week, I thought I became a widow. My husband and father-in-law were outside, jacking up the shipping container holding almost all our worldly possessions, when I heard a tremendous crash. I was in the midst of packing my closet, and
Conquering Fear In An Unsettled World
Our toddler began screaming the instant our minivan entered the darkened tunnel of the car wash. Her head thrashed from side to side, as she tried to anticipate the monster’s assault. Eyes welling, she was on the verge of really cutting