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My fourth-grade son began playing the cello this fall. Every week, he gets a lesson from a brilliant and dedicated teacher during his school day. It’s a remarkable and life-giving gift to form him and his Davenport Community School District cl…
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If you live anywhere near the Midwest, you’ve likely enjoyed some time outside over the past week or two. While this winter has been relatively mild, there have been some weeks of frigid temperatures, blasts of arctic cold, and a few snowstorms sprin…
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One day not too long ago, as I drove my daughter to her dance lessons, we pulled up next to a car at a stop light. I noticed as we approached that their gas tank door was open (who hasn’t been there at least once?). Trying to be kind, I tried to get…
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I’m going on a journey, and I’m starting today. My head is wet, and I’m on my way. Christ’s mark is on me; it’s on you, too; It says he loves me, and he loves you, too! “I’m Going on a Journey” Text by Kenneth D. Larkin and Music by Edward V. Bonneme…
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I have a friend who recently worked as a long-term substitute music teacher in an elementary school. She not only brought a deep love of music and a big heart for children to this job, but a whole lot of creativity. I loved hearing how she fostered a…
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There are certain words used so often in our daily vocabulary that we can easily forget what they actually mean. Or they slip into our everyday conversations without particular attention to their importance. Take, for instance, the simple significanc…
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I love a good portmanteau, you know, those words that are a mashup, a combination of two other words. I’m not sure if I am fond of them because they sound ridiculous or because it takes some level of creativity to make a good one. I mean, who doesn’…
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January. It would be easy this week to believe that the name of this month derives from some foreign language in which it means, “so cold your eyelashes can freeze and break off.” In fact, it does come from a foreign culture. In ancient Rome, Janus w…
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I only recently discovered that “the doldrums” is an official nautical term, referring to an area around the equator where there is little to no wind for sailing. Sailors often avoided this area for fear of being stranded without supplies in the midd…
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Impulsiveness is generally looked upon as a negative trait. We tend to honor thoughtful and intentional actions, moves that have been carefully planned. Acting on impulse is often seen as hasty, reckless, and immature. But, for the last few months, I…
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As we gradually wrap up this holiday season and soon return to our more usual rhythms and routines, I’ve been recalling memories of various celebrations and time with loved ones over the years. I’ve taken a trip down memory lane as I look at the vari…
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When I was about five years old, I started lying on the floor under the Christmas tree in the evenings. Coincidentally (or maybe my parents did it on purpose), every year, the same ornaments were hung on the same lowest branches. I loved how the ligh…