Hours may drag, but years race.
Somebody wise has probably said something like that. If they haven’t—well, you read it here first. Continue reading
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Category Archives: Things I have learned so far
Vinyl
It all started with the “Wedding Day at Troldhaugen.”
On Saturday afternoon, as I sat at my desk working on a client’s rush project, one of my favorite classical stations began playing this delightful piece by Edvard Grieg. I say “delightful,” but for all I know, it could be part of something weird and dark. (After all, Grieg is the same person who wrote the Peer Gynt Suites No. 1 and 2, and Peer Gynt is not exactly a bright and sunny tale.) Continue reading
Tips for a Successful Staycation
I don’t know if anyone’s ever done a study of the most frequently used word in the United States in the summertime, but if they did, I’m betting “vacation” was a top contender, if not the winner. The funny thing is that for all our talk about vacations, we’re apparently awful at actually taking days off work, even when it’s paid time off. Factor in those of us for whom a day of no work is a day of no income, and it’s no wonder that when you ask people how they are, many will say, “I’m so busy, I’m just exhausted.” Continue reading
Vacation, So Far
Around eighteen or so years ago, my pastor told me to take a vacation.
Okay, he wasn’t talking exclusively to me. It was part of his sermon. I don’t remember much now, just that he spoke of the value of rest. Not long after that, I booked a trip to Captiva Island, Florida. Never let it be said that I don’t take direction well. Continue reading
Reclaiming My Life
The past two weeks have been challenging. The funeral of a friend’s mother, who died unexpectedly. Notifications of three lost writing contests. The death of Rachel Held Evans, whom I met once and whose work brought joy and laughter even as she wrestled with big questions and challenged people of faith to learn to rest in mystery. Twenty hours billed in one weekend, with the draft brief finally sent off at 3:30 last Monday morning. A rejection from a prestigious writing conference I’d hoped to attend. Continue reading
What If . . .
. . . Stephen King were pitching The Wizard of Oz to a publisher?
Happy Independent Bookstore Day 2019!
Tomorrow is Independent Bookstore Day!
Those who haven’t celebrated this holiday before may have a few questions. While I am not a bookseller and I have no affiliation with any bookseller, I do have a teensy bit of experience in buying books.
So, let’s consider a few basic questions: Continue reading
Changes, Maybe
Some people adore change. They embrace it. They find it exhilarating. They love to mix things up, add elements and remove bits, expand and refine, in a passionate swirl of experiences that are never the same twice.
And then, there are people like me. Continue reading
Buddy, A Year Later
In my several decades on this planet, I’ve lost a number of beloved people and pets. For some reason, Buddy’s death has been the hardest I can recall. Last Friday, March 29, marked the one-year anniversary of his passing, and I was a wreck. At one point, I sat on the floor next to the bookcase, rereading Gwen Cooper’s account of when she had to let her beloved Homer go and ugly-crying like I hadn’t in a long, long time. Continue reading
When Your Church Family Isn’t
Photo credit: Noah Silliman, Unsplash.com
Unlike some people I know, I didn’t grow up with the idea that the people from church were my family. They were just the people from church. Continue reading
P. Jo Anne Burgh 