cultivating the beautiful ordinary by sharing our tales and our tables
About a year ago, my literary soulmate, Bridget, who had moved away, was struggling. A close friend of ours, Julie, was facing a cancer recurrence, and the prognosis was grim. Torn about returning for a visit, she recalled a quiche she had once made that Julie had loved—it was the only thing Julie could eat…
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When my friend Ted died from esophageal cancer, he was my seventh friend to die in seven years. I was bereft. Ted and I had been close friends for thirty years. By his generosity, he inspired me to be generous, and he also fostered my love of travel. Because of him, I have had some…
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I have had an ambivalent relationship with practice. The word alone conjures up many feelings. First, my eleven years of piano lessons were wrought with more pain than pleasure. Many hours my body yearned to have been running, bicycling, or playing sports, but I was living in an era when piano lessons were more common…
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I met my best friend when I was four and she was five. We were in the same dance class and became instant friends. Almost all of my childhood memories include her, almost all of my high school sleepovers, as well as my college and young adult happy hours. We went to different colleges but…
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On Saturday morning in middle-winter, I stand in my bathroom, highlighting the hair of one of my dear friends. I have a special, recyclable Lululemon bag filled with balayage lightener, clips, a cape, and tin foil. I always put it away in a place that is obvious but I can never find.
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I remember the day I first met my neighbor. As I strolled down the street, she greeted me with a warm smile, and we struck up a conversation. Little did I know that this chance encounter would blossom into a close friendship. Her family had been a part of the neighborhood for quite some time,…
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The conversation that evening was sweet, as much a contributor to the celebration as the sumptuous meal and quiet candlelight at a favorite restaurant. My friend wanted to hear what had been significant for me in the year that was finishing and what I was looking forward to in the year ahead. As the evening…
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It was my first year in med school, a place where I was navigating community and finding friendships as an adult. I was fresh off a year serving overseas, a time of tight community, centered on walking with Jesus. Like being thrown into frigid waters, entering a new, intense season of schooling was jarring. I attended the Christian…
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On a rainy mid-pandemic Sunday afternoon the call came. A mutual Virginia friend uttered the words, “I heard about Charlotte. I know you were dear friends. I’m so sorry.” A driver high on meth had crossed the double yellow lines, hitting her head-on as she drove into town to sing for a virtual church service.…
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I’ve always struggled to connect with other women, especially groups of women. While I’ve usually had a “bestie” in whom I could confide, I always had the impression that many other women found me to be a little too much. Which is funny, because I am probably the most introverted person in my family. Sometimes…
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