Our little foursome had a relaxing and fattening weekend on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. We left Friday night and, despite some traffic, had a pleasant ride, punctuated by Luke’s never ending questions:If someone got really mad and smashed a bunch of ice cream cones in an ice cream store, would he go to jail?What if it [...]

To mark the third anniversary of the war in Iraq, my children and I went to two different peace gatherings. One made us feel hopeful and empowered. The other just made us cold and cranky. I think the peace movement needs to pay attention to the difference.The first rally was a raucous gathering along a [...]

We’re on our fourth day of spring break, so not much writing is happening around here. We have, however, visited the dentist, the art museum, the mall, and two peace marches. I’ve also painted some pipes in the basement, which I would never do during work hours, so I suppose some time puttering around the [...]

Yesterday I was picking up Luke from his Quaker school when one of his friends started telling him about the violent video game he had played at the home of one of their first grade classmates. Then the boy turned to Luke and said, “When you grow up you won’t have to be a Quaker, [...]

Ever since my conversation with Miriam and my trip to NY, I’ve just been cranking with my writing. Last week I wrote an essay called “Sex and the Third Grade Girl” and yesterday found out it will be published by Mothers Movement Online. This week I also finished an essay about race called “Learning to [...]

I just had one of those moments when many of the things I’ve been thinking about came together in a flash of clarity. Let me explain.Nine days ago I had coffee with my friend Miriam Peskowitz and her cute new baby to talk about writing and mothering and how to get important ideas out in [...]

Last night Megan and I had another argument. On the surface it was about celery, but really it was about respect and the fact that I don’t feel my nine-year-old gives me enough of it. Of course, Megan thought it was because I wasn’t giving her celery.The usual spark that ignites my rage is her [...]

I'm still recovering from the two days school was closed for President's Day. Between the holiday and a long list of exasperating chores, I haven’t had time to write in a week. This state of affairs has made a few things clear: 1) If I don’t write, I get cranky (a fact I’ve observed before [...]

I’m not sure who is still out there reading this, but I’m going to try to use this post for discernment feedback. As I’ve written before, I’m trying to figure out what work to do next. There is one idea for a book that has kept coming back to me over the years, so I’m [...]

For three years—the three years when Luke was nursing—I taught a class at Pendle Hill titled “Discerning Our Calls.” I could use a class like that right now, so I find myself trying to remember the things I taught others.The first stage of discernment we discussed was opening a space to listen. Often the business [...]