Dented
I can’t believe it! My husband just came upstairs and informed me that our brand new Toyota Highlander has a big dent on the rear passenger side. We bought this car less than a month ago and already it’s deformed! Since this is our third car in a row with a noticeable indentation, I figured […]
Dive
I was 26 years old on that balmy summer evening in Indiana. Gathered with close college friends at a family cottage on Lake Maxinkuckee, we sat on the outside terrace under the moonlit onyx sky studded with stars as if God had emptied an immense bag of perfectly cut diamonds onto his black velvet jeweler’s […]
Waste Management
We live with six horses. Big animals. Big appetites. An average 1000 pound horse produces approximately 9 tons of manure annually. That’s about 50 pounds daily, times six for us. We decided to deal with our massive waste management challenge by creating a spot next to our barn where we could dump and tend to our horses’ […]
Family Functions
Family functions—and sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes, at the hands of family, we find ourselves, without warning, in spiritual, emotional, intensive care units not within hospitals but within wells and prison cells. Such is what happened to Joseph. The most favored son in his family, Joseph relished his position and, either from naiveté or pride, unwisely […]
William the Outcast
I met William at our son’s first high school cross-country meet on one of those perfectly warm, sunny Indian summer afternoon with leaves just beginning to turn. As I observed Zach interacting with William, I saw two kindred spirits—both friendly and kind, but socially awkward and idiosyncratic. I silently repeated one of my favorite clichés—“birds […]