It’s summer and the kids are out of school and the sun is shining and the smell of grilled meat is in the air. After these long years of pandemic living, we are all eager for some good ol’ fashioned summer fun: splashing in the water, picnicking with friends, making sticky ‘smores over a shared […]
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While watching a detective show with my husband, it struck me that in order to condense the story to an hour, they had to leave out a lot of parts. The show’s writers couldn’t include the ordinary, mundane scenes between the action: The police paperwork The commute to work Doing the dishes Walking the dog […]
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Guaranteed ways to be a miserable mom: Compare yourself to other moms. Volunteer to be classroom mom, soccer team mom, girl scout troop mom, and sign up to teach Sunday school. (Related: sign your kids up for ALL the things!) Stay up way too late, every night. Sacrifice your needs and wants always, in every […]
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Last week, I accompanied my oldest son on a field trip to the middle school. We listened to a short presentation in the auditorium, then took a tour led by student ambassadors. Six different elementary schools feed into this middle school and the building was sized accordingly. We walked up and down stairs, down several […]
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On a walk last month, I spotted a beautiful scene: purple morning glories in bright bloom framing a rounded doorway. It stopped me mid-stride and I slowed to look more closely and take a picture. The blooming archway seemed magical to me, like it would lead to some other fairy world awash with more delights. […]
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A small group of ladies at my church have been meeting once a week to read and discuss Learning to Walk in the Dark, by Barbara Brown Taylor. Every Thursday evening we hop on a zoom call and reflect upon God, and the role of light and darkness in our lives. Carolyn suggested we meet […]
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Whale-watching tours are big business in our area of southern California. I’ve never taken one but I know the best time to go is during the winter months. Visitors from out of state will shell out fifty bucks a ticket for a chance to see these magnificent creatures in the wild. Even in the winter, […]
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I didn’t grow up in a church tradition that observed the liturgical calendar and so my understanding of Lent was limited to giving up chocolate and coffee for forty days. Why would anyone sign up for that? As an adult, I’ve discovered that Lent is a much richer and meaningful tradition than I ever knew! […]
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We stood before the painting, side by side, admiring the larger-than-life flowers in a vase on the stool. My husband and I were on a day date while our kids were in school; usually we would grab a bite to eat between errands on a free day, but we were feeling fancy. Other museum guests […]
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Something has felt “off” in my writing life for over a year now. It took me a few months to discern the exact problem and a few months more to experiment with solutions. But today I’m ready to try something drastic and walk away from Instagram indefinitely. My writing is a ministry and a calling, […]
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Sarah K. Butterfield 