Love and Toothpaste Tubes
Our three stairstep girls were in the back of the minivan as we drove to a friends’ house for supper. Collectively, I had labored thirty-eight hours to bring them into the world. I said, “Tomorrow’s Mother’s Day.” My husband groaned. “I knew you forgot.” He
When Dreams Don’t Make Sense
A white-haired man walked into the coffee shop carrying a guitar case. A pretty woman in leather mule heels came in behind him. I couldn’t tell if she was his daughter or his wife. Unzipping the case, the musician exchanged
How Many Petersheims Does it Take to Launch a Novel?
Five, to be exact. I became an author soon after I became a mother, and one of my goals was to make my writing part of my family’s life. This is why I write at the kitchen table instead of in
All Who Are Thirsty
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. ~Isaiah 58:11 Ten years ago, on our
My Seashell Finder
Last week, a friend sent a picture from the newspaper showing my six-year-old daughter’s kindergarten class of 2030. Out of eleven students, three wanted to be veterinarians, three police officers, two teachers, one a firefighter, and one a scientist. Only one wanted
The Magnum Opus & Motherhood
Sitting up at night with my infant child, my feet rocking the glider on their own, plots begin to stir and thicken as characters bob to the surface in the sleepy cauldron of my mind. Tomorrow, I think, swaddling my daughter
Each Life Is Book-Worthy; It’s Just The Way It Is Written
My best friend, Misty, came to visit this week. The hour before she had to leave, my husband watched the girls so we could take a walk around our land. We put our hats and coats on in the breezeway,
Love: An Investment of Time
One of the traits that endears my husband to me the most is his love for planting trees. When we first got married, we lived in an apartment adjacent to our grocery store with a highway running past and a