We could never have loved the earth so well if we had had no childhood in it, if it were not the earth where the same flowers come up again every spring that we used to gather with our tiny fingers as we sat lisping to ourselves on the grass, the same hips and haws…
Tag: childhood
No Bad Weather
There’s a saying, which I’ve heard attributed to half a dozen different cultural origins, that claims something to the effect of “There is no bad weather; just bad clothing.” The meaning is clear enough: dress yourself well, and every day is a good day to be outside. It’s that easy. It used to be, anyway….
Angelina & The Lupine Lady
“That is all very well, little Alice,” said her grandfather, “but there is a third thing you must do.” “What is that?” asked Alice. “You must do something to make the world more beautiful,” said her grandfather. “All right,” said Alice. But she did not know what that could be. In the meantime Alice got…
Summer Places
We’ve barely dropped our bags when he starts heading down the hill, away from the well-marked buildings of Mount Hermon Christian Camp and Conference Center, into a maze of boxy cabins balanced on a steep and shady hillside. After just a few minutes of following, my mother, cousins and I stop behind my father,…
My Teachers
On a warm May Saturday evening, we sit down around the table in my parents’ dining room. Five couples, the parents of my friends and peers, they form a small group at Bethany Community Church. On Saturday night, they welcomed me as a guest speaker, giving me the floor for a few minutes to share…
History in Skagit Valley
The still grey valleys–Snohomish and Skagit–grow smaller as we keep driving. It’s Sunday morning, early, and Holly and I are on a quest. We’re searching for history. History in general: as we drive east along Highway 20, towards the closed Washington Pass, towns built a century ago still bear the faces of their youth. History…
The Way Home 