pursuing a life of purpose
I’ve always seen the story of Jonah and the whale as a strange and rather far-fetched consequence of running from God’s calling. But now I see it as a beautiful lesson in forgiveness, and God’s equal bounty of love, and of what incredible lengths God will go to in order to teach his children about [...]
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There are few mediums in art that invoke immediate emotion. Pictures, whether painted in oil or shot through a lens, may or may not bring up feelings of peace, or nostalgia, or intrigue. Words can move mountains, but it takes a bit of work on behalf of the reader. But music. From the first moment [...]
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The plastic curves, they pant in tulle and diamonds bright For kitchens gleaming of soapstone Buying and baking and wasting. – It’s a water-soaked culture and fear is a droplet of oil so blend and buy and lust and smile sail on past the wrinkled lines. – Sleep is hard and mean and honest It [...]
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A few months back, my son dropped my bottle of perfume on the bathroom floor, and rose-scented shards littered the tile. So off I went to Nordstrom to replace it. I stood there for hours smelling and wafting and scrunching up my nose. Finally I chose one, and as I was paying, the saleslady said [...]
[Continue reading...](1) In our house, we can’t say the words stupid, dumb, or hate. Which is why we don’t have cable television and ban Fox News. Today, however, I managed to say all three words in one sentence with regard to a jar of pesto I couldn’t open. I’m an excellent example. (2) For a Girl [...]
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I had a dream a few months back that I was dangling on a roller coaster, my hands gripping the sides of a drop-off that went straight down into blackness. I was in my car with my children, for heaven’s sakes. I couldn’t risk their lives letting my clunky Chevy Tahoe loose on these metal [...]
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So the big important news this week was that Taylor Swift’s fan mail was found unopened in a dumpster. All those glittery heart raspberry letters wasted, dumped by the used syringes and old saggy diapers. Someone found them, and THANK HEAVENS alerted the appropriate authorities. It just really makes me teary-eyed that we Americans [that [...]
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I’m always annoyed when the host of a cooking show tastes her food at the end of the episode, rolling her eyes back in ecstasy. Not only does she magically create beef rolls, arugula salad, and a pear tart in under twenty minutes, but then she brags on herself. “Oh my gosh,” she says into [...]
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We are a culture of moving forward. When tragedy strikes, you ask for prayers and nights out and oversized glasses of wine. You sob and wail and girl, you let that mascara run. But then, after the shockwave hits, you want to be that person who picks herself up and dusts herself off, bopping and [...]
[Continue reading...](1) I’m fairly certain that no matter what time period we’re floating around in, Miss O’Brien should not have hair curls that resemble horns. (2) That Cora. Always smiling with her head turned like she was just handed a newborn kitty that smelled like baby powder wrapped in a bed of roses. I was just [...]
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Hello! My name is Amanda Hill and I'm a writer and lawyer in Austin, Texas. Take your time to look around, and welcome!
