STAY, in the Breath

letters from a writer & photographer's journey

Looking for Purpose, Finding the Ground

Dear Tired Heart, You were brave and opened the cabinet of your self looking for purpose, calling, but found pain there where it seemed purpose was supposed to live. You are right. So, maybe linger a little longer? Please, don’t turn in disappointment because what is supposed to look shiny on the shelf is lying there in the soil while night falls ’round. Watch a minute? You thought it would be tidy.. Read More

How Love & Pain Mingle. How Clay Get’s Formed.

Living by a river this past month has been an experience to savor. At any part of the day we can hear it’s crashing. This has been true since we moved here but even more now that the rainy season has begun. It seems on the conservative side to say that the more stream-like river that we’ve been playing in rose by ten feet in a few days time. There is.. Read More

Only Time: A Sabbath Prayer

Did you know that the word for holy in the Bible, kadosh, was first used in reference to time, a day? “And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy…”—Genesis 2:3(a) There’s a song we’ve sung, “Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. Heaven and earth are filled with Your glory. Hosanna! (Save me!) Hosanna! Hosanna! In the highest.” My husband and I sang this at our.. Read More

Holy Days

Since our move, everyday is bringing new experiences, many firsts, often breathtaking. Last week we watched the first harvest moon in October since 2009 rise over the mountains as we watched from across the Columbia River. It was thrilling. Literally squeal-inducing from several of our children’s perspective. “I see it! I see it!” Other days we often go down to the river. It is always there, but always new. It.. Read More

Hello From Washington! Joy in the Morning.

I kinda feel like I am shouting it from a distant peak, from my corner of the world over to yours, “Hellooooo!!”. The cold grey stone of mountain sending it further than I can on my own. Yet, in reality, I am now closer geographically to many of you than I have ever been. However, since it doesn’t feel closer, it makes me happy to get to sit down and.. Read More

The Wilds: Live Awake in Wonder

Wild, wilds, wilderness…these words have been calling to me for some time now. I see them everywhere I go. I feel them. I want them. Then I wake here. I put another book in another box from one of our many bookshelves to go resell it. We are downsizing, eliminating, purging—from a large house to a small house in the next few weeks, one step at a time. One. decision… Read More

Night As Bright As Day: Pre-Eclipse Ponderings

Quick Personal Update With Thanks! I have so many things I want to tell you all. First, I want to say thank you so much to everyone who shared my book re-launch with others last week. I am thunderstruck. For someone who never expected to write a book at this stage of my life, the fact that it is published and actually circulating out in the wide world at all.. Read More

Free…Like Freedom and Free Book

Well, the day is beginning to wrap up as I send this out or maybe it already has where you live. Whether the sun is beginning to peak out or hide-away, here’s a story for you. But first, if you don’t have a lot of reading time tonight—I want you to have this free gift from me—my book is free on Amazon Kindle! Click here to go get it. Once upon.. Read More

How Freedom Sings P.S. It’s not how we thought

When I got married I wanted to dance. I don’t mean I was so in love that I felt like dancing. I mean there was that too. But, really I wanted dance to literally be a part of our ceremony. Or, at least, afterwards? I had grand schemes, all locked away in my mind. For several reasons none of this occurred, but there was a woman I knew who did dance. So.. Read More

Home, and a Pretty Long List that Helped Me Get There

Hello Old Friends Ahh…Hi there, I’ve been wanting to sit down and write to you all for a while now. I have had several people ask me lately for a health status update and it seems like a good time to send out a more personal note, because I have very happy news. After six months of solid fevers, several more of intermittent fevers and basically ten months all together of.. Read More