Diaspora Blues
I was going on my merry way, enjoying my caramel macchiato and quiet neighborhood, when it happened. I was supposed to be past the hump, right? I mean, I’d been back in the United States for almost two years. Sucker-punch. Sucker-Punch Definition: Primarily involves a closed fist contacting the soft underbelly of a person (beneath […]
If I Had THIS, My Life Would be Complete
I pulled the sliding glass door shut behind me and walked barefoot across my mother-in-law’s back porch. I sat on the big porch swing. Sigh… a slice of solitude and quiet in a summer of travel and transition. I pulled out Amber Haine’s Wild in the Hollow, ready to escape into someone else’s story. But […]
Let’s be Home for One Another
Look up “home” in the dictionary, and you get the idea it can be identified by sticking a pin in a map. Such a simple word, a straightforward concept until… Until you have crossed borders and rooted yourself in a foreign land. The concept of home deepens and widens and encompasses all the places and […]
Trying to Fit in at Home
I’m going to cut to the chase. I’ve never been good at flowery language, anyway. But as a woman who walks the nitty-gritty day in and day out, I find myself more direct than I used to be. You know what I mean, don’t you? Us gals in the trenches, we are not the same […]
My Second Home
When people find out I lived in three different countries and traveled to multiple other countries, they often ask me which place is my favorite. After answering this question multiple times in the past year, I finally came up with a standard answer, “Scotland is my favorite place to visit, but Portugal is my second […]
Build Your CABIN
As our friends are building their RAFT for leaving well, what do we “stayers” build? How about building your CABIN? C Count the Cost. Again. Remind yourself of the call and purpose that first brought you here. Remember how worthy He is. Rededicate all your being to the trustworthy One who is asking you to stay. […]
How to Settle Your Soul
I love this time of year. It’s a precious gap for our family, a pause between the travels of summer and the full swing of fall schedule. It’s a time to put our home in order, the home that’s been steadily unraveling all year long. I sigh with satisfaction when everything is in it’s place. This is […]
Consistent Transitions
*Sigh* I know you want to do it too. We hear the word transitions and it just makes us want to sigh, or perhaps throw our hands up. If your life is anything like mine, it is full of transitions. Small ones, big ones, hard ones, and thankfully some easy ones. When I’m […]