I am honored to share this poem written by my mother-in-law, Nancy Schweingruber. Three years ago on September 12 she stood by her beloved husband, Don, and watched him take his last breath. Her words capture a story of grief and deep love. We miss you every day, Don, and treasure the time we had with you. And to my… Read More
Does being kind matter anymore?
In an earlier post, I encouraged people to rethink the definition of beauty in order to find it in brokenness. In addition to broadening our imagination of what beauty means, we need to expand our awareness of how small acts of kindness can give others great beauty. We live in a broken world—poverty, discrimination, crime, death, and war. We also… Read More
For People who are Angry with “the Other Side”
I read it on social media. I hear it from friends and family. People are frustrated and angry. But WHOM they are frustrated with varies. It is interesting to hear differences in opinion over who is to blame for the violence and unrest dominating the headlines. There is one thing we have in common: We are afraid. What have we… Read More
In His Steps: For My Dad
It can be hard to put into words the legacy of a person. I wrote this poem for my Dad for his 80th birthday last December as an attempt to capture what he means to our family. I share it in honor of Father’s Day. A Portrait of My Dad For David Berns A baby in his arms, a child… Read More
When a Shepherd Plays the Trumpet
As he walked towards the door, he no doubt was heading to other important events in his day. But when my three-year-old daughter showed interest in his trumpet case, he set everything down immediately. Kneeling beside her, he opened the case and showed her how to play the trumpet. She laughed as he made funny sounds on the horn. Then… Read More
A Thousand Ways in Life and Death
Remembering Don Schweingruber on his birthday. In a thousand different ways, I learn how you died. When I see a perfect gift for you and know I’ll never watch you open another present. When I am in the grocery store remembering our shopping trips and knowing we will never cook together again. It takes time for our multiple levels of… Read More
Finding Joy in Ordinary Moments
Today is leap day. As with many occasions, there are social media and marketing attempts to make your leap day extra special. What can you do in one day? Don’t waste your extra 24 hours! I’m all for making the most of every day. However, I don’t like the pressure of these “special days.” Yes, it is fun to do… Read More
Blazing a Trail in Corn and Life
Every fall, my family takes on the challenge of a local corn maze. We are determined to find all of the wooden animals that are stationed throughout the maze. It generally takes us over an hour. We have our strategy as we work together to explore every nook and trail. If we had an aerial view map of the maze,… Read More
