My family and I are vacationing in Colorado, and today we climbed Pikes Peak. Our Jeep did the actual climbing. But we successfully steered the vehicle skyward, to the mountain’s 14,115-foot summit. The 19-mile drive demands a stealthy crawl in low gear, up an increasingly steep two-lane
Read more →Mom had more faith than anyone I’ve met. Unshakable faith in Christ, really. I was reminded of that recently, as I rifled through a box of nearly forgotten items from my childhood. I landed on an autograph book, a gift for my tenth birthday. Among the few
Read more →Mothering two young children is sometimes like novocaine. It numbs my mind and makes me talk funny. On the toughest days, crafting a coherent sentence can be challenging. Not to mention holding a conversation about something complicated, like education policy. Once upon a lifetime ago, writing and editing stories about
Read more →Summer was in full-and-glorious bloom when last I wrote here. So was my belly, nearly 40 weeks full of my darling daughter. Nine days later, I gave birth. I settled into a self-imposed hiatus from writing, and suddenly it’s winter. Or so the calendar says. Most of North
Read more →The day we deliver our first child, we deliver a new self, as well. In an instant, our identity expands to include motherhood, from the mundane, everyday tasks to the long-term planning needed to raise another human being. But it will take us a lifetime to grow
Read more →Last week I toured the suburban Chicago hospital where my daughter will be born. It would be a breeze, I thought, approaching the tour as if I were on a fact-finding mission. First, examine the layouts of the labor and delivery and recovery areas, and then ask
Read more →In his book Writing for the Soul, Jerry B. Jenkins mentions a category of writers who write because they can’t not write. I’m one of them. If I’m not working on a writing project, my soul begins to fester. Writing is what drives me and helps me
Read more →In a few days I’ll cross the third-trimester threshold, and my emotions are mixed. Part of me is eager for my daughter to arrive–a precious bundle of mini-me–so I can see what she looks like, so I can watch my husband and son embrace our new girl.
Read more →Last week Jerry Jenkins, the best-selling author, paid a visit to my writing-critique group. Jenkins, who’s penned more than 175 books, including the Left Behind series, discussed his life and career, and offered insight into what it means to do full-time Christian work–as a writer. His remarks
Read more →One of my oldest friends and I have built ourselves an oasis. Every Thursday night, after our impish toddlers have scampered off to bed, we call each other. We recap the week, revisit college days and our mutual interest in royal weddings, and delve into our latest
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