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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…
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I just returned from a wedding in Asheville, N.C., and it’s got me thinking about trees. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, you know that trees are plentiful. It’s the abundance of oak trees in the…
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I am a reader and always have been. As a child, I recall luxuriating in the feeling of being curled up on a couch with a book, absorbed in a story and a world far removed from my actual surroundings. Anything and everything could simply pass me by –…
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It’s Advent, the time of waiting and preparing for Christmas, for Christ’s birth. Traditionally, each week of Advent carries a particular perspective, leaning into one characteristic of faith which is essential to the Christian life. This first week…
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A few weeks ago, I was driving home when I noticed something somewhat unique: a man riding a unicycle down the sidewalk. I have no idea where he was going or how far he planned to travel. As I sat at a red light, I marveled a bit at how he was able t…