rebelling against low expectations
From my childhood to my late twenties, there is scarcely anything more magical to look forward to than Christmas. Nostalgia is a precious thing. Sights, smells, and sounds all take us back to a place where we were warm, happy, safe. For me the embodiment of that contented state goes back to the holidays. I’ll never forget when the magic of Christmas was especially strong for me growing up in...
My earliest memory of celebrating Memorial Day is attending a parade at seven years old, waving my flag and cheering wildly when my favorite fire truck honked at me. I understood that freedom was not free, I promise you that. The depth of that truth and the full meaning of the holiday, however, did not cross my mind. That’s how it’s supposed to be when you’re seven years old. Reverent and...
School is out for the season, and you’re home for the holidays, curled up in front of the fire with a cat purring at your feet. A tall Christmas tree twinkles in the corner. Sipping hot chocolate and munching Christmas cookies, only one thing is missing: a good book. Okay, maybe your life actually consists of your siblings screaming at each other, your mom asking you to empty the dishwasher, and...
Christmas can seem to come and go so fast. It seems that we barely bought our Christmas tree, named it (if you’re like me), and decorated it before its pine needles start to go a little dry and its nearly time to say goodbye. But I’m wondering this year—what if we viewed Christmas not just as a season but as the beginning of a rescue story? Because Christmas truly was only the beginning of the...
Christmas is a joyful time of memories and laughter, but for so many others, it’s a time of deep pain and grief. What should we do when there is an empty chair at the table? What about when the laughter is so much quieter and the beloved presence is gone? What then? In August, just four months ago, my grandfather died tragically. My life was forever changed from that day on. These last few...
The other day I found myself wandering through the aisles of Target, looking for the perfect gift for the $5 and under gift exchange I was having with my cool new friends. It had to be universally appealing to both guys and girls, and establish me as the sort of person who was fun, and had good taste, and so forth. “Ha! And you were planning to write an article about how to reduce holiday...
rebelling against low expectations
