STAY, in the Breath

letters from a writer & photographer's journey

Our Hands. Our Times.

Our hands are busy. I know that. I get it. But we’ve all got time. Time to stop. Time to act. Time to return. We’ve all got today. Time to remember. And time to see what is present. I know it often feels like we don’t know what we can do. Little us. Especially us moms. Our hands. Our times. Our lives. Spoken for. But it is in THAT that.. Read More

Glimpses—For Us

From exploring Corbin, KY (Cumberland Falls) to driving through the Appalachians in TN (Cherokee, Pisgah, and Great Smoky Mountains National Forests) to NC to exploring the wonder of the OCEAN on the Atlantic coast of South Carolina to exploring Charlotte, NC “the Queen City” (that WOW reminded me of Overland Park, KS) to a quick overnight in Knoxville, TN so that we could go exploring Big South Fork National River.. Read More

The Truth About the Day

Yeah, it’s true. I laughed out my nose when the three year old lunged across the table to steal food from his older brother’s plate deft like a praying mantis after it’s cricket. Seriously—the way he moved was impressive and spontaneous and I could NOT help it.   Yeah, it’s true, I sighed at first when: 8 year old: “mommy.” me: “just a minute, I’m in the middle of a.. Read More

All I Gotta Do

All I gotta do is share publicly about my prayer life to be driven to my knees. All I gotta do is talk about my kids’ relationships with each other to begin to feel desparate that they’ll never talk to each other once grown. All I gotta do is try and I’ll be sure to face a challenge. It’d be easier not to but, “You must do the thing you.. Read More

Wonder that Overcomes, (Siblings) Part 3

It would be too simple to say or think that all I do as a parent to nurture my children through the wilderness of sibling relations is head for the woods. Yet it is a very powerful, meaning filled way I can put feet on my prayers. And it’s not just for the kids, it’s for me too. Maybe me most of all? It’s at that mind numbing point (I.. Read More

Wonder that Overcomes, (Siblings) part 2

In my last post, I began with speaking about the complicated-ness of sibling relationships. So what’s wonder got to do with overcoming that? Brother/sister-hood, our children’s and our own, it’s heavy with glory—a target of great worth. I’m trying lately to remember Beauty in the quiet places I can steal away. I know that the stories of wonder planted deep into our world, and deep within us, can emerge. I.. Read More

Authenticity: a Prayer

Being authentic doesn’t mean just being real about the struggle, it’s seeing beyond the struggle to what is most real. Welcome to Wednesday—I’m sure it’s already been a big week for us all. Feeling exhausted before the day even began, here’s my heart prayer this morning: I desperately want to live in the awareness of the now and the beautiful strength You can bring to it. I don’t want to.. Read More

Learning to Float

Becoming an author…or a mother (in every new or repeated season of it)…growing, into anything really…it comes with tension. {insert 3 year old war cry for independence here} Atleast that’s what it sounds like at my house. Or, if I dig down deeper I’d tell you it looks like fear, worry and doubts, ugly cries that threaten breath, and bursts of laughter too far in between. The tension between “push”.. Read More