INSIDE THE BOX
Life Doesn’t Frighten Me
Black History Month arrived this year in the wake of yet another horrifying instance of police brutality against a black man . . .
For a New Beginning
As January comes to a close, I’m reflecting on its significance as a month of new beginnings. . . . To which new beginning did your heart call you this month?
When Giving Is All We Have
‘Tis the season of giving. Of making lists, scouring stores, waiting in long lines, and hauling home bags weighed down with fashionable clothes and trendy gadgets. The frenzied consumerism that has come to characterize the winter holidays in the United States leaves some feeling cynical about the season. . . .
Winter-Time
December is a month made for children. It’s hot cocoa and marshmallows; sleigh rides and snow angels; candle lighting; carol singing; dreidel spinning; and stockings brimming over with treats.
Dawn Revisited
Most evenings, I try to think of something about the day that I’m particularly grateful for. There are usually plenty of things to choose from . . . Some days, though, the thing I’m most thankful for is that the day is ending.
As Imperceptibly as Grief
Summer is over. Our afternoons are still warm here in central Illinois, but the mornings have been chilly. . . . Soon we’ll be donning heavy coats, hats, and gloves. I wish I felt ready for the change.
The Builders
Today we celebrate our unsung heroes: the people who work day in and day out to make sure our homes are sturdy, our environment is clean, our streets are safe, and our children are fed. . . .
Human Family
I recently spent some time at Chicago’s O’Hare airport and was struck by the glimpse that airports can offer into the variations of humankind. . . .
Morning Athletes
Each day I rise at the buzz of my alarm, groggy from not enough sleep, and stumble into the closet to put on walking clothes—shorts and tanks in the summer and layers upon layers in the winter. By the time I’ve tied my sneakers, I’m awake and ready to go. The next hour or so will be all mine.
Nothing Gold Can Stay
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said something to the effect that “change is the only constant in life.” And isn’t it so?
A Litany for Survival
June is Pride Month . . . a time to remind ourselves of the right that every human being has to live authentically, no matter how different their authenticity might be from our own. . . .
The Peace of Wild Things
It’s hard to listen to the news these days without despairing for the world we live in. Military incursions, domestic violence, mass shootings, and political rancor . . . . sometimes it’s all just too much.
For Strong Women
I saw an old friend recently who confessed she’d been going through a tough time. You’d never know it by looking at her. . . . Like so many of the strong women I know, she has a seemingly limitless store of talent and energy. But maybe she needs a break from being strong.
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
It’s been a chilly, dreary spring so far in central Illinois: lots and lots and LOTS of rain. Bone-cold, blowing, hit-you-from-the-side-rain. But this morning, as I strolled along the river at the center of our town, I spotted a clump of brave little daffodils pushing up their delicate heads to brighten the world around them.