Small Town News

John was watching a television show the other evening, about a man grieving the loss of his father. His mother and brothers shared wonderful stories before the funeral, about the last words they’d had with the deceased. “Dad...

Our son Nathan and his fiancée Kat came to visit a few weeks ago. And their dog, Riley, of course. They all love going to the ranch, trekking in the woods and riding the side-by-side all over the property. Riley’s definitely a...

The definition of “messy” is “generating or involving mess or untidiness.” It can also mean, “confused and difficult to deal with.” But I love messy, in people anyway. Messy people make me more...

Do you remember John’s saying? “Anyone who has two dogs always has one sweet, gentle, kindhearted, old soul. And one crackhead.” You’ll want that reference for this story. Before we got the Labs, we knew how much the...

BC (Before Children) I dreamed of all the marvelous things I’d teach my unborn progeny. We’d share happy moments learning ABC’s, counting, skipping stones—all the storybook ideals every future parent has. Then reality...

Recently I received the most delightful email from a fan. The subject line read, “Glad to read your article.” The From line said Marian Bartlett, the mother of one of my high school classmates. High school was, uh, well let’s just...

When my second child came along, I worried I wouldn’t love him as much as my first. Of course I did, and I expected to love them the same.  I thought having two boys meant I could repeat everything for Cameron—he could wear...

Is it football season already? I just can’t even! I don’t like sports, at all. I know we’ve covered my dislike of sports, so I’ll be brief. I want to mention a particular incident that cemented my dislike. Cameron played...

A few weeks ago, John and I (along with twenty other people) took a trip to Wasilla, Alaska. We spent five days on a mission trip, which changed our lives. But definitely not in the ways we expected. Our mission was unclear, an unusual turn of...