Taking Thoughts Captive

October 21, 2021 by Jodie in Faith, Parenting, Dwell

October in New York City is beautiful. The tree canopy in Central Park is a blanket of orange, red, and yellow. The humidity fades and the temperature is perfect for taking long strolls through the city instead of cramming into public transportation.

But there’s another side to October in New York City that isn’t so lovely for mothers of very observant young children. New Yorkers go all out decorating for Halloween. Yes, there are beautiful displays of fall foliage and pumpkins of every color climbing the steps of brownstones. There are also horror movie advertisements on almost every bus and taxi, gory figures hanging outside brownstone windows, and skeletons dangling from trees. When my daughter was almost three years old, October felt like the entire city was a haunted house and I was trying desperately to shield my small child from all of the scary images around her. I was also praying every single day for God to show me how to explain these images to her but was equally nervous about messing up those conversations.

On Art & Heaven & Making Mistakes

March 20, 2021 by Jodie in Writing, Faith

“I don’t think there are artists in heaven because in heaven you don’t make mistakes”.

These words were spoken by my 8-year-old daughter last week. The daughter who has a perfectionist streak because she shares the DNA of two perfectionists.

She spoke them calmly to my husband. She was reflective. Curious. A deep thinker in a tiny body
I’ve been thinking about those words all week.

To be an artist is to make mistakes.

God loves creation.

There are no mistakes in heaven.

I don’t know how to reconcile all of these things.

Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust.

July 09, 2020 by Jodie in Faith, Home, Transition

I almost burned you down last year. It was an accident, but still, I’m sorry. I sat up straight in bed back in the city, my heart pounding, fully awake. The clock blinked green - 5:03 am. I had only been asleep for five hours but I could not go back. I could only think of one thing.

Did I leave that candle burning at the cabin?

New Year Benediction

January 06, 2020 by Jodie in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Transition, Writing

Last year, another writer challenged me to write a benediction for myself in January. I had already finished color coding my goals and filling out my planner, so it felt like a shift to speak kindness and grace over myself instead of expectation and striving. A good shift.

Benediction – the utterance or bestowing of a blessing

In Latin bene means “well” and dicere means “say”.

Here is what I wrote last year:

The Heaviness of Light Things

December 30, 2017 by Jodie in Balance, Faith

The snow in Bozeman this year has been nothing short of magical. It dances to the ground almost daily and with no wind and freezing temperatures it has settled comfortably in the valley. Hay bales have thick white blankets and bare trees sparkle like a small child dipped their branches in glue and then dunked them in glitter. Every so often a small amount will fall from a tree or rooftop and if the sun catches it just right you could mistake yourself for being inside a snow globe.

I have driven past these four trees a few times this week. The branches are heavy with something light and beautiful. They look impressive carrying so much snow, sparkling in the sun and beckoning photographers to capture their strength.