INSIDE THE BOX
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.
Instructions on Not Giving Up
The long awaited day has arrived! Winter is finally over. The crocuses are popping their tiny heads out of the still-thawing ground. The sun is lingering longer in the sky. The birds are venturing from their nests to sing in celebration. Warmth and color are returning to our cold, grey world. . . .
a poem of war
War kills so much more than soldiers. It kills babies in their cribs, young women on their way to work, and old men in their chairs. It kills livelihoods and neighborhoods, schools and parks, forests and waterways. It kills dreams. It kills hope. It can kill our very souls . . . .
Everything is Waiting for You
The COVID-19 epidemic has altered people's lives in different ways. For many, it has meant unprecedented physical suffering. For others, profound grief. For some, a loss of another sort . . .
Come to Dust
Looking out the window as I write this, I see a landscape covered in snow. It’s been there for a while now, since the last few days of December, and it will likely stick around for weeks to come. . . .
Life is a Test of Hope
This week’s poem honors two great men: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (whose birth we celebrate this month) and Bishop Desmond Tutu (whose death we mourned last month). Although they lived continents apart, they had much in common. . . .
Miles to Go
Just when we thought we might be coming out of the woods, here we are at the end of another year, still mired in a crisis of viral spread and rising hospitalizations. How long will this go on?
The Shortest Day
December 21st marks the Winter Solstice—the point at which the path of the sun is farthest south. For those of us in the Northern hemisphere, this solstice brings us our shortest day and our longest night.