Writer, Spiritual Director
Over more than forty years, my beloved mother and I have been saying emotional goodbyes - often long, tearful embraces at airports - because, well, you never know. The first time, Mom put her only daughter, just 22, onto a plane en route to a year of volunteering in Europe. When I was 25 she… Continue reading The Hard Goodbye
Five years ago at about this time of year, I was a good girl. The day was warm and sunny; I had the morning off of work. Tiny green leaves shone bright on the shrubs, and the first dandelion of the season poked up through the grass. Setting aside my list of housework, I chose… Continue reading Carleton
Familiar, but not normal. The same tender touch I’ve grown accustomed to during 30 years together, a reach from his side of the bed in the wee hours, his fingers on my waist, just checking in. Three seconds, tops. Enough, though, to pull me from a sound sleep, eyes flicking open. When our youngest son Carl was… Continue reading Cool Comfort
I keep a bird feeder in our back yard, and it is a busy place during daylight hours. Over the winter I fill the feeder with sunflower seeds, hoping that it might attract red-brushed house finches, jaunty chickadees, or perhaps even a downy woodpecker. Instead a flock of house sparrows has claimed our yard as… Continue reading A Gift in Winter
My family go crazy for my homemade pizza and it’s not surprising. It is objectively delicious. Pepperoni-mushroom-green pepper for Dean, Emily, and me, plain mozzarella cheese for Evan and Carl. I purchase pepperoni sticks from a local deli and choose Catelli Tomato and Basil Pizza Sauce in the glass jar. As for the crust, I do… Continue reading Grown-up Pizza
As a child, our daughter Emily played the coveted role of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the church nativity play. Wearing a blue robe, her head demurely covered, she tenderly placed the baby Jesus into the manger while I beamed, camera in hand, from my cushioned third row seat. The music crescendoed around the… Continue reading Starring Role
The day before the first Sunday of Advent, half-open boxes and piles of decorations were everywhere. In our household, the beginning of Advent is the proper time to bring out decorations. Not ALL the decorations. We begin slowly with the Advent wreath and Advent calendars, seasonal colours, angel-shaped candle holders. The stable, the crèche handmade… Continue reading Christmas Trees
My supervisor stunned me with her urgent, unexpected phone call. It was March 15th at 4:00 in the afternoon, around the time the world was changing for everyone. Pack up your computer, your monitor, your ergonomic office chair, and anything else you might need in order to work from home for the next, oh, six months.… Continue reading Beautiful and Terrible Things
I refilled the bird bath this afternoon while preparing to make my lunch. With a full water jug in hand, I stepped outdoors into the cool sunshine. I lifted out and tipped over the metal water container, tapping its edge onto the dried out lawn to release and add its circle of ice to those already… Continue reading For The Birds
I talk to myself. When working in the kitchen or thinking hard at the office, speaking some of my thoughts (quietly) aloud helps me stay focused. So one aspect of wearing masks against the coronavirus which I’ve appreciated is that, while masked, no one in the grocery store can see my lips moving while I… Continue reading Open Lips
Darlene Pinter 