“People have always collected things. Whether a vestige of our hunter-gatherer days, a need to forge order amid chaos, or a simple desire to…
Taking the Long View in a Life of Hospitality
I have a love/hate relationship with hospitality. That may seem a strange thing to say about a practice that’s necessary and good, highly valued…
The Solace of Asparagus
Creation / Family / Hospitality / Safe Place / Spirituality
[Note: “This article originally appeared on June 19, 2009 in Comment, a publication of CARDUS: www.cardus.ca.”] The first meal I prepared for the man…
Wooden Clocks and Tiny Silver Balls
Community / Family / Hospitality / Ordinary Life / Work and Rest
When I grew up and moved away I rarely saw them. But in December of every year I especially remember my grandparents. Each December…
Nourishing Gratitude: Being Thankful, Again
Hospitality / Maturity and Flourishing / Work and Rest
One of the dangers of a comfortable life is that comfort becomes our norm. So, we notice when events dip below that standard, but…
Margie’s 2012 Christmas Gift List
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett I’m not certain this book will satisfy everyone. But the characters will not leave my head. The sign…
Fleeting
Family / Hospitality / Ordinary Life / Work and Rest
On a morning late in April I woke and couldn’t remember where I was. There had been too many beds that month. When I…
Margie’s 2011 Christmas Gift List
Stone by Design by Lew French, Gibbs Smith, 2005. (non-fiction) Stone by Design must be the best book yet on building and landscaping with…
Summer Shorts
Family / Hospitality / Ordinary Life / Spirituality / Work and Rest
In a moment of general regret my husband said: “I’m sorry.” He was looking at me with tears in his eyes. I thought he…
Offhanded Joy
Community / Faith / Hospitality / Maturity and Flourishing / Ordinary Life / Safe Place / Work and Rest
Dedicated: To my friends who helped the homeless of Louisiana. To those whose ate mangoes on a beach in Hawaii while their water pipes…