Listening to Three Sources

At times, I find myself doubting a thought or perspective that pops up like a weed in the midst of what I consider the inner garden of my mind. Usually, though, if I am patient enough, multiple occurrences arise that help me unify my thoughts. Early last week, I had begun to sense a difference … [Read more…]

Framing Our World

Before the flush of June’s greening, I grabbed some time to walk up the county road that cuts through the native grassland. As I walked, I framed a view without picking a mat color, wood molding, or type of glass. Instead, I used barbed wire and a weathered fence crosspiece to define my camera’s view … [Read more…]

Living Concretely

Back in what feels like another lifetime, nearly three years ago, I had the opportunity to spend a day with a roomful of rawhide braiders – and the one person who arrived in the class to a chorus of “Who let in the Saddlemaker?” Today, when I opened my social media page, the first post … [Read more…]

Full Moon in January

No, your calendar doesn’t have a misprint. In this first month of the new decade, the full moon isn’t until January 24, but perhaps that is where the collision started. Here’s what happens to me – things collide. They don’t just sort of quietly merge together; they slide with a bang, images tangling with words. … [Read more…]

Saddling a Galloping Horse

The press of work and expectations of what was planned seem to elbow each other sharply about now, pushing, crowding, and yelling for a better place in line in an already packed mind. In short, the “should’ves, would’ves, and could’ves” crowd the balance of summer around the end of July. We may begin to feel … [Read more…]

Critical Mass

It is interesting how ties from the distant past follow us. Recently, I found a packet of letters from my great-grandfather to his father discussing his preparations to leave Kentucky ahead of the impending Civil War. The planning included selling off house goods, purchasing supplies, and packing the wagons for the trek west. Over 150 … [Read more…]