The other day I was driving by a park I had visited just one time and began recalling a sweet memory of Jud and Jessie playing in that location — I remembered them climbing, sliding and laughing together.   Yet, as I explored the memory further in my mind, I realized the timing of my visit

Last Wednesday, Jessie had received a special Valentine’s Day gift from a dear friend from church, Mrs. T. After quickly pulling the tissue paper from the bag Jessie discovered candy and a special hot pink Hello Kitty wallet with lots of pockets.  After some prompting by Mrs. T, Jessie opened the wallet and discovered a

Last Thursday, Jessie and I had the chance to visit our new home to take measurements and pictures in preparation for our move this Saturday.  Afterward, we decided to stop at the nearby park for Jessie to play.  Meanwhile, I was sitting under an adjacent tree talking on the phone.  Unbeknownst to me, while I

Dear friends and family… We are moving! The process of getting to this point has been grueling since we first learned of the foreclosure but we are grateful to have found a new home in a wonderful area, just around the corner from a fabulous elementary school for Jessie. We are transitioning from Costa Mesa

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came. –Cheers Back in the Spring of 2006, when Drake, Judson, and I (along with our bun in the oven Jessie) moved to Costa Mesa, one of my first orders of business was to find a local coffee shop in walking

I was never an especially sentimental person.  I was apt to note value in that which connected me to the past, but my emotions were never particularly affected by nostalgia…   …until I lost my son. Since then, it feels as though I live in a perpetual state of sentiment.  Meanwhile, packing for our move

Periodically, my Google Reader will suggest internet reading for me based on my current subscriptions.   About a month ago, it suggested I read Godless Girl; the name of the blog caught my attention so I took the time to explore.  As I poked around the site, reading various entries, and exploring the recommended articles, it

Back in 2000, my friend Dana, a Biola colleague at the time, gave me a book for my birthday that proved to be formative to my creative process, affecting all my subsequent writing. It’s not a narrative, a faith-based read, a writing manual, or an imaginative story, but rather a compelling collection of art journals