A friend once told me that if you really want to do something, first write down all the good excuses you’ve got not to do it. When it comes to writing, I’ve got a few: All the words have been said. I don’t have the right notebook or pen. People will think I’m a fake....
This month, I’m honored to be writing on one of my favorite blogs, The Twelve, each Sunday. You can find your way here: 2/5: Vinegar 2/13: Middle 2/19: Hidden Hope 2/26: Saving up Stories
One of my favorite parts of teaching is writing with my students. In my Hope College class this fall, we did a series of writing experiments — assignments more focused on exploration than perfection. One of my favorites was an imitation of a...
Earlier this summer, I wrote about interviewing my grandma with my cousin, Sara Lamers Messink. A poet, a teacher, and one of my first friends, Sara and I grew up bridging the 80 miles that separated us with weekly letters exchanged back and forth. We...
A couple of years ago we purchased my husband’s childhood home from his parents. I love the sprawling backyard that overlooks a farm – waking to the pink light of the sun rising over the field, the distant sound of a tractor, the wild turkey that pecks and scurries...