a few weeks before emory was born, i received a couple of baby memory books with guidelines and prompts. it has always been difficult for me to work (and think) inside set lines. during the note-taking school years, even lined paper felt too inflexible to me. i took all notes on typing paper. i can still remember the facial expressions of people who asked to borrow my notes, after missing… Keep Reading

i have been diligently working on a project, these past few weeks, that continues to usher me through a kaleidoscope of emotions. i find myself occasionally pausing to reflect on the offerings and organization of my words; are they wholly coming from my heart-space? am i consistently living them? while they’re spiritually-rooted, they’re also frequently reminding me that this, too, is a human experience. i am confident, but i have… Keep Reading

it’s been years since i’ve dipped a brush in acrylic paint and i sometimes miss it. playing around with a watercolor app doesn’t offer the same sort of creative satisfaction, yet i’m still digging it.:) above is a photo-turned-painted-scene of the pines that i grew up knowing—taken yesterday morning. it is always good to commune with any trees, but the trees that i grew up with—though many are no longer… Keep Reading

this past year has been fun and insightful. a few highlights: traveling to spain…in my mind, candidly addressing several questions upon discovering that i no longer like mayonnaise after a ten-year hiatus, convincing a friend that it would be a good idea to give people macaroni art this holiday season…and writing out the traditional list of obscure and irrelevant things that sort of happened, happened or that just make me… Keep Reading

it is no secret that i love to write, yet some days i don’t feel like writing much at all. i am content just to be, to notice, to take in; occasionally, when i have a camera with me, to photograph the things that catch my focus enough to revisit later. i have become a little neglectful of this online space. this morning, however, it occurred to me that i… Keep Reading

 “i am that which i am seeking.” —franciscan mysticism i spend many daytime hours writing and editing, but it is an interesting treat when i write during my sleep. during rare late-night or early-morning hours, i will wake up remembering an experience—and, further, remember having written about the experience while dreaming. this happened last night. i dreamt that i was in my hometown at a local cafe. a few high… Keep Reading

thirteen years ago, after a short stretch of teaching, i had the treasured opportunity to work on a state-funded project at the state nursery in southern indiana. i spent many, mostly-solitary days grafting trees and taking care of the orchards—a couple of which i planted, while trying to stay onboard an old, shaky planter making its way through rows of rugged terrain.:) i cultivated lasting friendships with these trees in… Keep Reading

while i am not typically drawn to large cities, i can barely make it through a day without reading or hearing something about new york—enough to be interested in checking out its paths, people and on-goings at least one great time during this life. these past couple of days have gifted this time. not being a fan of crowds, my first impression, as the openness of the highway gave way… Keep Reading

clinical environments are impressively distressing to me. although i occasionally find myself immersed in them to be with and support someone else, i am otherwise skilled at avoiding them. this morning, i had one unruly (yet really lovely:)) wisdom tooth removed. though i realize that this a common procedure that may seem like a small matter to many or most people, i felt terrified—and have spent the past two weeks… Keep Reading

i am finding time, each night, to sift through a few things that my parents have saved throughout the years and recently sent home with me. my mom is a card giver and a card keeper. i have never been much of either, yet i’m taking the time to read through each sweet card that she saved before placing them in one of two piles; one on its way to… Keep Reading

for years, when i feel really aligned with something—whether it is a vision, an idea, a person, a sight or a situation—i have, without much thought, breathed out and offered up the simple mantra; yes, please, more, please and thank you. it can certainly be true that ‘less is more’, yet sometimes more is more! —more love, more healing medicine, more unguarded life stories, more excitement, more passion, more aliveness,… Keep Reading