The Way Home

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…

The Crucible: Classic & Current

You must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between. This is a sharp time, now, a precise time—we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world. Now, by God’s grace, the…

Home Is Where We Start From

Three days into spring break, I find myself on a windy hilltop, alone and reading poetry. At my back is the high outer wall of Rodborough Fort, a well-kept castle of indeterminate history or function, not open to the public but apparently available to lease. I text Timmy a picture of the castle and the…

April: News, Thanks, and Prayers

News and Dates: March 26-April 5: Spring Break April 7: BFA Staff Appreciation Dinner April 9: Classes resume (Start of Quarter 4) April 20: Freshman class party Curriculum for April: The Crucible, opinion columns and reviews We’re Thankful For: Oma and Papa, also known as Richard and Donna Dahlstrom, who came for a short visit in March. We’re thankful for…

Nothing Wasted: Of Slides and Research Papers

Friday morning, and the playground is deserted. Since I teach only one class today and Timmy is hard at work in the counseling department at school, Friday mornings I stay home with Luci. After what feels like a month of freezing weather and sickness, we’ve seized our health and the balmy temperatures and walk across…

March: News, Thanks, and Prayers

News and Dates: March 2-4: High School Retreat March 22: End of Quarter 3 March 23-April 8: Spring Break March 23-28: English Department Trip Curriculum for March: Modern poetry, Of Mice and Men We’re Thankful For: BFA Basketball Teams for a wonderful season, capped off by both teams winning the Division II DoDDS Europe championship! Timmy loved working with the…

On Labels

We’re putting the finishing touches on our latest issue of the BFA Chronicle newspaper, admiring a photo of Fiddler on the Roof cast members in the Arts section when one reporter looks up at me suddenly. “You play violin?” She phrases it as a question, but since this student journalist is also herself a member of the Fiddler cast,…