“What in the Sam Hill?” Fred threw back the covers and grabbed his dressing gown. “That alley cat must be in the trash again.” He made a fist and wiped a circle in the February frost, the new electric street lamp splaying a dim light on the street below. All quiet in the little neighborhood… Read More The Unexpected Guest
For Gus, the crusty iconic Texas Ranger in Lonesome Dove, the sight of a grazing buffalo herd stirs a hankering for a taste of mischief. “Let’s chase ‘em!” he says to his partner, Pea Eye. But lazy ‘ol Pea Eye isn’t keen on the prospect. “You wanta run ‘em off?” he asks. Gus shakes his… Read More Refuge
In the summer of 1955 my parents loaded their passel of kids (10,7, and 3) into the family station wagon and headed north to New York City. From San Antonio. An ambitious road trip, but my parents were glass-half-full folks who couldn’t imagine anything but a delightful, memory-making journey. As for my big brother and… Read More The Cool Car, Part 1
Somewhere along the way I picked up the idea that it’s wrong to question God. Good little Christians buck up, soldier on, slap on a smile and push through, despite impossible situations, sad events, pain. Asking questions of God signals a weak or failing faith. Right? Oh, so wrong! Becoming a mom helped recalibrate my… Read More Living the Questions
Most of us, at one time or other, have needed a rescue. A flat tire, a term paper left at home, or something more urgent—a car crash, an unanticipated crisis, a traumatic loss. When I was seven years old, I needed a rescue. I needed to be saved from Cujo. Remember him? That snarling attack… Read More When Cujo Comes Calling
We ate politics for supper at my house when I was growing up. My “greatest generation” parents had survived The Depression and Dubya Dubya Two, in their vernacular. We ate politics and world events for supper because my parents knew that what happens in the world can end up on your own doorstep. Their interest… Read More The Confession of Mr. J
I love Jesus. Actually, I love two Jesuses: Jesus the Savior of my soul and Jesús, savior of my lawn. Heaven’s Jesus sees a dry, patchy spirit and brings it alive with a faith full of hope. Jesús the lawn expert sees a dry, lumpy patch of earth and transforms it to a lush, thriving… Read More Jesus X 2
