I once wrote a story in which a farmer and a cowboy sit atop their horses on a butte overlooking the vast Montana landscape. The cowboy is almost certain he’s lost his mind to even consider what he’s about to do. The farmer assures him that if God is leading him into the venture, then …
Life Without Dad: Uncertainty
I am not a fan of heights. In fact, I once wrote an entire blog about that. Despite my distaste for high places, I love hiking in the mountains. I’m not a blaze-your-own trail, wander-through-the-wilderness, hike-for-days-on-end kind of hiker—but I love a good day-hike on a well-groomed, well-MARKED trail. Several years ago, I had the …
Life Without Dad: Life in the Past Tense
Last summer, two friends kept suggesting we spend a day at this place their parents had taken them to as children. They remembered driving to a lake that dried up each summer. They insisted it was called “Big Dry,” but no one else seemed to know anything about it. I got out a map to …
Life Without Dad: I’m Goin’ In
I’ve always had this amazing dread of the underneath side of the house. Not a fear, just a dread of the mud and the spiders and the dark—and the spiders hiding in the dark, waiting to take up residence in my hair. But, this week I found myself tweeting this: “Goin’ in…Here’s hoping I come …
Life Without Dad
[Note: This was written Sunday night. I apologize for the delay in getting it posted.] It’s 12:45 a.m., and I’m wide-awake. I was almost asleep when I suddenly realized if I’m going to mow tomorrow, I should charge the weed-eater’s battery. I argued with myself for a while, trying to figure out if I could …