Sometimes the real feels even more unimaginable than the dreams.

“I didn’t feel like Christmas until just now. Now, I do.”

“I am thankful for my family.” He added a little part: “and for dogs”. Which is where his heart really is. With dogs. “Even poodles”, as he generously exclaimed.

Every evening neighbors gather to watch the couple come home and feed the young. A community of bird watchers, united by the majesty and inspiration of majestic birds.

Summer in our house means plenty of time for reading. We head to the local library to sign up for the summer reading program. We discover great books and the kids boast about the minutes they spent reading.

God of all people, parent of every being, breath of life! We come with prayers before you today.

What you don’t have a picture of, didn’t happen. Basically.

After a full year of closed school buildings and dreadful Zoom school for my little ones, I just couldn’t think straight anymore.

All I always wanted was a store-bought princess costume. All I ever got were hand-sewn, beautiful costumes for dressing like a tight-rope artist (no one recognized that, and I had to tell everyone twice!)

A wind that took away my breath for a second. This felt like home! I ran inside, yelling happily: “There is a Rostock wind outside!”

Inspired by Joy Oladokun’s song “i see america”.

These are the days I hardly have any memories of. It’s the time of the year when trying to reach anybody is hard. No one knows or cares what time it is, or what day.

I didn't care about Mary for many years. She was the epitome of an inflated ideal of a mother. The always-smiling-never-in-a-bad-mood-never-complaining-mom. What could she possibly mean to me?

As he did every morning, he celebrated devotion with the children. But one morning, in December of 1839, it was different. He took a large wooden wagon wheel and placed it in the middle.

“Where is your brother?”, I asked, not trying to think of all the bad in the world. “He is still talking to that lady a few houses to the left, the one that gave us candy the other day.” Hansel and Gretel have had a great influence on my thinking, I have to admit.

I have never enjoyed grocery shopping much. But there were definitely times when I liked it more than these days. Like when the kids were really little and going grocery shopping was my only legitimate “me-time”. Those were the days.

I walked out to the garage to see it with my own eyes. Sometimes, that’s the only way to believe something, even though I am a pastor and believing things I often can’t see should be my specialty.

Clothes weren’t considered a personal choice for kids. They were a necessity, mostly hand-me-downs or sewed at home by my mom. Unfortunately, as a kid, I really didn’t appreciate handmade clothes. Like, really not.

For three days we basically lived off watermelon and ice-cream plus lots of water (and some cold beers for the grown-ups). Not the worst diet, I have to admit. And not the healthiest.

I never used to be a “tree person” before. I don’t get excited over vegetation as much as meeting new people. But redwoods are special, they really are.