The Way Home

Everything Beautiful

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11 After the ceremony, we drift under the pavilion, searching for cold drinks and shade. I suspect this day isn’t terribly hot by midwestern standards, but I’ve been quite literally chilling in the mountains of Washington State for the ten days since our return to Germany, so…

July: News, Thanks, and Prayers

News and Dates: July 5-8: Kristi attending former roommate’s wedding in Minnesota Timmy is in the process of transferring his Air Force Reserve service to Joint Base Lewis McChord in Olympia, Washington. He’ll start sometime in July, and is excited to get connected with a new military community. We’re Thankful For: Smooth Travels from Germany to…

Goodbye, Town.

From our last night in Kandern, Germany. (With apologies to Margaret Wise Brown.) In the great green room There is a glowing world And a tiny spoon And a picture of kids, pointing up at the moon. There are two goldfish, and a bunny dish. And two paper stars, and a purple car. And…

Last Day Letter: Our Better Country

Ever since the student-teaching days, I’ve ended school with a letter. It’s something I remember loving in high school—the one time a teacher did it—these final written words that summed up a year. Now, I write as much for myself as for them, this summing-up providing my own version of closure. I started posting them…

June: News, Thanks, and Prayers

News and Dates: June 7-8: Kristi’s last day of classes June 11-14: Final Exams June 13: Timmy taking the National Clinical Mental Health Counselors Exam (NCMHCE), an important step to licensing as a clinical mental health counselor, as well as securing board certification in this profession. June 16: Graduation Day June 26: Flying home to Seattle! Curriculum for June: Postmodern literature,…

Questions From Under A Table

Each spring, the juniors at BFA end the year by writing college essays, personal statements that answer one or both of two broad questions: “What has made you who you are?” and “What do you care most deeply about?” Every few years, I feel inspired to write an essay of my own to share with…

For Sale: A Good Tent

I have a confession to make. Though I fear that this admission may lead to the recall of my Dahlstrom Card, for the sake of honesty and the all-important Need To Tell A Story, I make it here with fear and trembling: I haven’t slept in my tent–or any tent, for that matter–in four years….

One Step Ahead

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 “Just remember, it’s not scary.” The juniors giggle nervously, fidgeting with blank-screened phones and tapping pencils on their blue journals, open to pages filled with questions. At the beginning of class, I…

May: News, Thanks, and Prayers

News and Dates: Early May: Timmy returning to Seattle for a weekend, to visit his upcoming job at Seattle Christian School. May 12: Timmy graduates from Regent University with his Masters of Clinical Mental Health Counseling! May 29: Timmy’s birthday Curriculum for May: College essays, postmodern literature For those who haven’t heard yet, we’re expecting a baby in October! Kristi…

An Ode To New Friends

Graduation seasons begin early around here. Though Black Forest Academy still has a good six weeks of school left on the calendar, social media means that we get to participate virtually in the early graduations of universities in America, from which mortarboards and monochromatic robes have begun to fill Facebook and Instagram. This is always…