“Thou knowest, not alone as God, all knowing;As Man, our mortal weakness Thou hast proved:On earth with purest sympathies o’erflowing,O Savior, Thou hast wept, and Thou hast loved:And love and sorrow still to Thee may come,And find a hiding-place, a rest, a home.”H.LL. If it were possible to weary our Lord’s ear, I’d be hanging…
The Weirdness of it All
“Hi Panga de la Panga,” he said into his little cardboard phone with the numbers inked in with my messy writing, “I’ll call you back later. I’m in gospel meeting.” His little bare abs flexed as he reached over to situate his “phone” horizontally, propped up against a bunch of hymn books. He was quite…
I’m the Wife
It’s not very ladylike to put on boxing gloves. I guess that’s why I’m recurring to my faithful pen (or thumbs, in actuality) instead. We all imagined quarantine to be a time of relative peace. We’d just tuck in and quietly do our thing, waiting out the virus as best as possible. Far, not only…
Thank You
Thank you to each and every one of you for the outpouring of love and prayers after my last post. It would be unfair to publish all the sadness and not recognize the absolute good that are God’s people. There is such a deep, satisfying joy in being a member of this beautiful family that…
Opinion Piece: Plaquenil
Note to Readers: Please bear with me. I write only to open eyes to one small aspect of the horrible worldwide suffering. In no way do my words marginalize the pain suffered by millions in hundreds of different ways. Our hearts go out to you today for whatever level of difficulty you are experiencing. May…
The Corridors of History
Any inhaler of literature lives with thousands of stories floating conveniently around in their grey matter, much like sailboats on the open sea. Bobbing here and there, our neurons flash around from Europe to Asia, from 750 BC to 1665 AD, from kings to servants, to whatever happens to catch the glint of the sun. …
The Whole World
I stepped outside after washing dishes (that’s a lot of happy birthdays in soapy water) to the back porch. It had been a hot afternoon, the dry mountain air sucking us all into prunes. The cold night breeze was a welcome relief. Habitually and unconsciously, my eyes traveled to the rectangle of black sky beyond…
On the Road Again
We’re traveling home, heading back to Campeche for a week. Doctor appointments, a wedding. You know, all the things. We decided to do it in two days. Take our time, smell the roses. Geraniums: beauties I took for granted before moving to the tropics I’m not a crafty mom. I don’t particularly enjoy games. I’m…
Magdalena Apasco
Before I begin storytelling, I’d like this post to be preluded by a doxology of sorts. I want every single person reading this to stop for a moment and just realize how wonderful, big, infinite our God is. There is no god like our God. He is majestic and full of mercy. He pours out…
Keep Your Gold
They step off their ships onto the sandy shore, swords glinting in the hot Yucatán sunshine. Unit after unit of men squint down the beach to the hundreds of coconut trees swaying in the tropical breeze, like so many maidens sashaying down the main avenue of Medellín. Peering into the dense jungle, Hernán Cortés and his…
penelope alves 