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Teaching When You Shouldn’t Have To
by Mary Margaret Healy | Aug 19, 2018 | Placeless
What I’ve keyed into is the difference between learning as a victim and learning as a perpetrator.
Pete
by Ben DeVries | Aug 18, 2018 | Placeless
All I know about the donut scene in Champaign, Illinois, I owe to a man named Pete.
Chess Bots
by Tony Ditta | Aug 17, 2018 | Placeless
The people I know with whom I’ve recently played chess are similarly much better than me. When we play, I view it more as a self-esteem boost for them than a real contest.
Getting Around in Sicily
by Andrew Knot | Aug 16, 2018 | Sicily
“Sì sì sì sì,” he said. The letters had rearranged themselves in Italian. This is how we would communicate.
Solitude and I-80
by Courtney Zonnefeld | Aug 15, 2018 | Grand Rapids, Iowa
And then—after all that hectic activity—all I had to do was drive. For five hours. On the same road. Beside a repeating pattern of corn and soybeans.
My Husband the Cop
by Corrie Van Bemden | Aug 14, 2018 | Placeless
Since I know it is theologically unsound to pray for my life to be comfortable, I find myself praying that Paul will be safe, promote justice, and stay out of the news.
Vivian Maier
by Olivia Harre | Aug 13, 2018 | Placeless
She took photos because it was something she had to do, because creativity flowed out of her and became her way of life. Because she had something to say.
Another Verse for Teachers
by Abby Zwart | Aug 12, 2018 | Placeless
O teachers! my teachers! your fearful year’s begun.
To Clean Out a Room
by Matt Cambridge | Aug 11, 2018 | Grand Rapids, Hungary, Missouri
I don’t like change, and I am an anxious person. Nice to meet you.
Four Meals with Strangers
by Jenna Griffin | Aug 10, 2018 | Austria, France, Portugal
Danke, Louise. Obrigada, João. Merci, Jess. Gracias, Vera.
The Queer Christian (?) Book™
by Gwyneth Findlay | Aug 9, 2018 | Placeless
There is the queer Christian story. And then there are the rest of us.
Harry Potter and the Humanist Podcast
by Josh Parks | Aug 8, 2018 | Placeless
If I really believe that the Bible was inspired by the creator of the universe, it should be much easier to find that trust than it is with a series of young adult fantasy novels finished a decade ago.
An Ode to Trader Joe’s
by Caroline (Higgins) Nyczak | Aug 7, 2018 | New York
You’ll know you’re getting close to the cashiers when someone tells you to go to the yellow cheese, the red pepper or the green grapes.
A Laughable Mistake
by Christina Van Eck | Aug 6, 2018 | Grand Rapids, Utah
We welcomed the hilarity of our mistake, the unknowns of adventure, and the opportunity to give ourselves grace.
A Thousand Points of Light? When National Service Isn’t in the Budget
by India Daniels | Aug 5, 2018 | Placeless
Taken as a whole, AmeriCorps VISTA is the lifeblood of nonprofit social service programs in this country, utilizing the interest and availability of young people for the greater good.
Sorry, Mary Oliver
by Meg Schmidt | Aug 3, 2018 | Placeless
The last thing I want to read about is another long and beautiful and solitary walk.
Our Old Pup (and Other Pets)
by Cotter Koopman | Aug 2, 2018 | Placeless
She waddles so slowly and aimlessly on evening walks that it feels like you’re tricking her into moving forward. I swear her body’s just gotten doughier and wider while her head has stayed the same size.
Not Another Bite
by Katerina Parsons | Aug 1, 2018 | Honduras
When I first moved to Honduras three years ago, I ate everything my host family ate: beans, eggs, cream, tortillas. Heavy, simple plates—bland, but satisfying. But then suddenly one day, months in, I just couldn’t do it anymore.
Sermon of the Aspens
by Michael Messina | Jul 31, 2018 | Placeless
I like to term myself “religious but not spiritual.” I enjoy the trappings and rituals of church: the hymns, taking communion, post-service cookies (especially the cookies).
I Know All About You
by Juliana Ludema | Jul 30, 2018 | Placeless
Which poison: a lifetime spent seeing flashy landmarks, never staying put, or a lifetime getting lost in one place?
Shut Up and Learn Something, Stupid!
by Cole Campbell | Jul 29, 2018 | Grand Rapids
With this skewed perspective, it’s almost impossible to disassociate Calvin’s intended view of vocation, and our idea of vocation in relation to our career.
The Butterfly Effect
by Matt Coldagelli | Jul 28, 2018 | Placeless
Not only did this miscreant have the gall to stop far too distant from the proper spot, he had the utter audacity to hesitate and linger when the blessed green light at last showered itself onto us lowly plebeians.
A Thin Place
by Brad Zwiers | Jul 27, 2018 | Iceland
I sank my water bottle into nature’s LaCroix, took a sip, offered some to Gwyn.
One Piece at a Time Vol. II: How to Lose a Dishwasher in 10 Weeks
by Nick Meekhof | Jul 26, 2018 | Michigan
Like a tube of toothpaste gettin’ squeezed out,
The rest of that dishwasher slowly eased out
Hush, Little Bird
by Jack VA | Jul 25, 2018 | Placeless
Her voice was not strong. But it was powerful in softness, clear in tone. After dozens of services hearing her struggle with melody, she sang in perfect harmony.
Changing the World 101
by Lauren (Boersma) Harris | Jul 24, 2018 | Placeless
Simply begin at Blog Post #1, in which I make a rudimentary, over-simplified attempt at the “can’t we all just get along?” argument that would become a recurring theme in my work over the years.
Rising to the Occasion
by Julia LaPlaca | Jul 23, 2018 | Mexico
Then we heard an all-too-familiar sound―a jolt and an internal groan as the bus gasped for breath. We all responded in cartoon-like unison.
Blueberry Season
by Paula Manni | Jul 22, 2018 | Michigan
We receive a hearty “Welcome, hullo! Glad you’re here!” from the blueberry man, who is sitting in a plastic patio chair next to an old truck filled with boxes and buckets.
My Only Comfort
by Gabe Gunnink | Jul 20, 2018 | Placeless
Now that my grandma has died, though, I feel almost embarrassed when people comfort me. I find myself dodging and deflecting each earnest, brow-furrowed condolence with chipper sound bytes: “It was a mercy at this point.” “It was a long time coming.” “I actually had a great time with my family. It was so fun to see my cousins from out of town!” I refuse to play into the cliché.
The Perfect Cure for Your Handmaid’s Tale Hangover
by Mary Margaret Healy | Jul 19, 2018 | Placeless
The fullness of the characters’ lives and the variety of their responses to such ruthless adversity forced me to think of the victims of history as more than what their oppressors made them.
