Even in the daylight, it looked like a scary movie set. We stared through our minivan windows, waiting for Oliver to emerge from the scene. I double-checked the house number Oliver's mom had given me. My six-year-old son had invited two school friends to Wednesday night church. It felt like a throwback to the days of Sunday School busses. Since my grandpa had a CDL and the disposition of Andy Griffith, he was the driver. Since I was the oldest grandchild, I got to ride along. I remember … [Read more...]
Confessions of a Discontented Dreamer
Last year around this time I had a vivid dream. It was the stuff of cinema, where you sit up in bed, rub sleep from your eyes, and discover your dream has come true. Only in this case there was a twist. I place zero stock in the content of my strange and discombobulated nighttime dreams. I marvel that my brain—mushy as it is during waking hours—can concoct bizarre plots and events without my conscious assistance. But on that freezing morning, I woke up convinced that Kurt and the boys had … [Read more...]
Unlikely Reasons for Gratitude: Needing Help
It’s almost taboo in our Western culture that thrives on independence and producing. We applaud a man who “pulls himself up by his bootstraps.” We admire a liberated woman, and maybe we even sing along when we hear an old recording of Frank Sinatra singing, “I did it my way!” There’s a sense of pride attached to phrases like “on my own” and “self-sufficient” and a veritable stigma attached to words like “needy” and “emotional.” Perhaps those are just a few reasons we hate to do it. What … [Read more...]
Unlikely Reasons for Gratitude: Change
In 1987 on their debut album, the group Exposé had a song called "Seasons Change." It was a pop culture lament over lost love and time. Thirty years later that song still occasionally gets stuck in my head. "Change" gets a bad rap, especially in the song. But recently I've been really thankful for change. For instance, we’re done with elementary school. We have three--almost 4--drivers in the family. Everyone sleeps. It’s a world away from where I was 12 years ago. In the fall of 2005 I … [Read more...]
When Thanksgiving Gets Obstructed
Maybe you’ve noticed this phenomenon at your house…you flip the calendar to November, and about a thousand Christmas catalogs rush into your mailbox! Every year it's like someone is aiming a fire hose filled with junk mail right into the mailbox. It kind of gets in the way of all the talk about thankfulness. In school projects, at church, and during mealtime and bedtime prayers, we list the things we’re most thankful for. Family. Friends. Food. Shelter. Jesus. And then in a violent … [Read more...]