Yesterday EvanMarie came to visit. I showed her my autoharp. It fascinated her for a short time. I suspect that the frustration of being unable to play it by herself caused her to lose interest sooner than she would have otherwise. The buttons are too hard for her fingers to press and the picks I…

A snapshot of the view from my writing chair captures a jumble of thoughts and feelings. Light and shadow play around the whole space; reflecting off a glass topped table which Doug fashioned years ago. There on the bookshelf sits Xhiv’s painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe cradling Evan’s body. His rafting and army helmets…

Today I reflect on hope as we near the end of the Church’s Jubilee Year of Hope. Doug and I are excited to travel to Phoenix soon as retreat leaders, along with three other couples, for a marriage retreat for the newest cohort of couples who entered formation for the diaconate there. We find joy…

About six weeks ago, EvanMarie’s primary care physician felt a mass in her abdomen and heard a heart murmur in our youngest granddaughter. Time has been hazy ever since. It dawned on me today that her third birthday is in just seven weeks. I’m not sure if she will be at home or in the…

“God never gives you more than you can handle!” Can we please not repeat this awful cliche? God doesn’t dump bad things into our laps. Yet, terrible things do happen in this far-from- perfect-world. They seem to happen rather randomly, to anyone anytime. God-worshiping, God-loving people are neither immune nor exempt. We know that God…

My sourdough starter waits undisturbed in the fridge while I’m gone. I feed it this morning to use later today. Isn’t it amazing that wild yeast organisms live all around us and we can cultivate them and put them to work leavening loaves of bread? We go next door to the 1st birthday of our…

We awaken at 4am to board a plane in Seattle at 6am. We have an hour layover in Phoenix before boarding the plane to Houston. I complain of the cold on the first flight, so Doug wants to buy me a blanket for the second flight, but I refuse since I already have a perfectly…

It’s harder than we expected to leave this area. But, it’s time to go, so we hug Caleb, load him down with some leftover perishables and agree that it’s not “goodbye”, but “see you later”. Then we head into Snohomish and stop at Proper Joe Coffeehouse for a second cup of coffee and a pastry….

This morning, Doug leaves early while I tend to laundry, then enjoy ice cream for breakfast. (Yeah, I know. Not a healthy choice.) Laundry folded, I text Doug that I’m headed his way. He brings the car to meet me and we park at the base of a hill climbing up the path to the…

This morning after searching online for a nearby Mass, we are seated in a pew at Holy Cross Parish in Lake Stevens where we’re surprised by a Communion Service led by a lay woman. It’s the first time we’ve attended a lay led Communion Service in our 28 plus years of being Catholic. Though it…