There was no turkey. The dressing wasn’t Mamaw Shirley’s, and the pecan pie wasn’t Uncle Matt’s. There were only four of us. We decorated our table with our abundance. Lemons from a friend, a pineapple from another, flowers from our garden, a candle and autumn leaves from America. The children talked about how much our … More Giving Thanks and Longing for Eden
I recently saw a photo of a pile of rubble in my home town. The caption confirmed my suspicions. Ruby Tuesday had been destroyed in order to make room for a fast food restaurant. For most people, the destruction of a restaurant is unimportant, but that building was part of my story. It was 1999. … More On Our Fourteenth Anniversary…
“When we get our spiritual house in order, we’ll be dead. This goes on. You arrive at enough certainty to be able to make your way, but it is making it in darkness. Don’t expect faith to clear things up for you. It is trust, not certainty.” ― Flannery O’Connor A year and a half … More Forward in Darkness
We were awakened this morning by a slow, steady drumbeat, a signal from one village to the next. A villager had died. This is the way of telling, and of mourning. Our language school sits on top of a mountain and is nestled among several villages. Some of these villages have a large wooden drum, … More On Learning a New Culture…
The Story of the World He created… from nothing…everything from darkness…light from lifeless…life. And it was good. And it was very good. Then the fall the fear the guilt the shame leaving behind the perfection of it all. Searching always for a way back but not yet the darkness too dark to find … More Reflections on Good Friday
My boy will be a man soon. And our story, the one that humbles me and forces me to remember my dependence on God for his grace, for my every ounce of strength, for my very breath, is kept forever within my soul. It seems to spill out when I have forgotten what it’s like … More Grace Upon Grace
Few words and no pictures today. Our hearts are breaking. Even so, come Lord Jesus! Maranatha! In Your Arms by Mandi Mapes In Your arms is where I want to be when my world comes crashing down on me so hold me close keep me Yours always bid me, break me, be my rock for … More Maranatha
So many things have been written about that day. So many feelings, still so much confusion, such pain. No words can express everything that happened that day, or in the twelve months since. Strange for me, as I am now so far removed from the place that was once my home. It was there that … More April 27th…A Year Later
I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself. -Maya Angelou As the days grow short in this old house it seems as if memories lurk in every corner, awaiting the moment that I least expect them to show themselves. A simple walk up the front steps floods my … More This Old House
Sanders Party of Five 