When I was young I remember loving to look at National Geographic magazine. Beautiful pictures of mountains, oceans, forests, desserts, flowers… nature… were mesmerizing. I learned early on that some of the pictures were scary. I’d turn a page and a full-spread close-up of some weird fish with fangs and bug eyes would pop out … More Snapshot of Turning Pages

I am in the midst of packing up my house to move…after 35 years. Anyone need some ‘stuff’? Oy vey. I have accumulated so much of it. So today I am not posting a snapshot. But I wanted to let you know that. I have a question. Why did I save six pictures that look … More Snapshot-less

One of the more magical events in nature is the transformation of a caterpillar (a fuzzy worm, really) into a butterfly. The delicate, beautifully colored and graceful creature flits from flower to flower making everything seem more alive and beautiful. But how does it make that transition? I don’t pretend to be a scientific genius … More Snapshot of a Chrysalis

She sat down across from me in my office. I knew her and her family as part of my church. She was married with two young children. She had come for counseling…she said. She had met a man, a father, at her kids’ school. They were in love… “God brought us together.” I listened quietly … More Snapshot of Rainbows and Cement

We have become something of a bumper sticker society. We speak in marketing slogans and campaign sound bites. Just Do It* was great encouragement when my toddler was standing on the side of the pool being invited to jump into my arms, but not the solution to every single challenge we face. Often slogans are … More Snapshot of a Bumper Sticker

Seven of us stood in a loose circle around the dark hole. My friends were finally hooked up to city sewage and now had to deal with the septic tank under their back yard. The guys had dug down a couple of feet to the clay tank then broken through to reveal the wet, dark, … More Snapshot of a Septic Tank

I am not revisiting a snapshot because I failed to generate a new one…though I can’t promise that won’t happen at times. I find myself very overwhelmed with a lot of stuff going on in my life – most of it really good. I’m not in a difficult season, just a chaotic one and my … More Snapshot Revisited: Sort the Laundry

She is 7 and this is her first piano recital. She sits alone on the piano bench, unmoving, as tears begin to slide down her cheeks. She looks out at her parents as if to say, “I can’t do it.” Her dad, a world class musician, quietly walks up and simply sits beside her. He … More Snapshot: Piano Recital

In the olden days (when I was young) when you asked for directions you would probably hear something like, “head north for about an hour until you see the river then go right for a while until you come to a bridge. Cross it and head east until you come to the town.”  This is … More Snapshot of a Compass

Pom-poms are standard factory issue on all human beings. We are created to celebrate and encourage other people, and to be celebrated and encouraged. One of the first things we teach babies to do is to clap their hands. I have held the chubby little hands of my kids and my grandkids as I chanted … More Snapshot of Pom-Poms