by Deb Farris | Dec 29, 2017 | Devotions
The last of the leaves linger on branches that twist and gnarl, vulnerable and exposed, extending skyward. The wind moans and whistles through their sinews and tendons. The air is icy, my breath crystallized as swirls of mist twirl like smoke in front of me. It’s not...
by Deb Farris | Dec 16, 2017 | Greater Good, Musings
If you’re like me, you’ve experienced the benefits of negative ions at some point in your life. I’ve lived in both the Appalachians and the Rockies at different points in my own and I remember that I was able to find a sense of peace and well-being that, in spite of...
by Deb Farris | Dec 8, 2017 | Greater Good, Musings
I stopped taking a glass of water to bed at night. When cat wants me up, she knocks off whatever is on the nightstand. And cat is keeping me green. Those flimsy recyclable plastic water bottles make a crashing sound like breaking glass that wakes even deaf dog. Only...
by Deb Farris | Dec 2, 2017 | Greater Good, Musings
I had an article due for our newsletter on Friday and I didn’t make my deadline. We went with something else. I thought I had a good subject, the Journey of Joy—huh. After many rewrites, I began to feel like I had no idea what joy is. The more I thought about it and...
by Deb Farris | Nov 25, 2017 | Musings
I wait as she rises from the darkness at dawn, shaking off night’s debris. She never forces her way in, she has traveled the distance and knows steadiness. She seems to sense that I can only take her presence in slowly, sometimes imperceptibly, until she can crack the...
by Deb Farris | Nov 23, 2017 | Greater Good, Musings
I can tell Thanksgiving is going to be a beautiful clear day here in Milwaukee. A little chilly but warmer than it’s been so I slip on my son’s hoodie that he left behind last time he was here, and layer on my dad’s flannel-lined jean jacket to take...
by Deb Farris | Nov 21, 2017 | Musings
I stopped to pick up a prescription at CVS after work tonight. That went well. Dan at the pharmacy is nice. Or I can at least humor him into a smile. Okay, can I ask you? Does your scalp itch? Is it my age or the hard water or dry heat? What the heck? Anyway, I...
by Deb Farris | Nov 21, 2017 | Greater Good, Musings
The tree limbs and branches sprawl and spread across the floating balloon of a sun. Light pushes through, taking center stage with brilliance. Place your candle on the table. Reveal its flickering flame. Even the wick’s embers, smoldering, glow. Its beauty, but...
by Deb Farris | Nov 12, 2017 | Musings
We hear the music of laughter, we hear rumblings of applause. We hear the shouting and rampage, we hear incessant banter. Only God hears the silent cry. Is it our disagreements over religion that offer solution to a longing heart or the silent cry to God believing...
by Deb Farris | Nov 11, 2017 | Greater Good, Musings
It was her tone. Her tone on the voicemail went right through me. Her words would roll off (or I would try to let them). They weren’t a big deal. I mean, they were to her, so they mattered to me. She was upset about the way her envelope had been addressed. In the...
