She Picked Me and She Picked Us

I’m taking a moment to celebrate today, and it’s an easy one to remember. It’s the day that two lives were completely and permanently woven into mine. It’s the day that life would (twice!) never be the same. Four years ago tonight, I was a new husband. A year prior, I had basically surrendered to […]

Dancing On

The summer is nearly at an end, and we took in the waning hours of the Labor Day weekend with an art show and parade in nearby Franklin and some well deserved afternoon napping. Julia has been down for over two hours; and though she needs the rest, it’s always hard not to dread the […]

A Year (and a Lifetime) Ago

Tonight I was reminded again that sometimes in the crush of the day to day, I need to remember to sit and be grateful every now and again. It started innocently enough. I was dealing with a typical “first world” problem and rearranging some stuff in our refrigerator so that I could somehow wedge more […]

Intrinsic Good

There was a lot to be thankful for today. It’s the first day of Spring after the mildest Winter on record, Detroit had an 80 degree day in March, Julia celebrated her eighteen month birthday and I have the evening off! For all of those great things, I am thankful. But I’m also finding myself […]

Scenes From a Coffee Shop

Not long ago, I decided to take a Monday away from the office and work remotely at my favorite coffee shop in town. Time away like that is surprisingly productive – especially with the crush of distractions and interruptions that can come at the office. As I was burning through the mountains of correspondence, a […]

Heart Day’s Eve

I rocked my little girl to sleep tonight. I know that’s not such a news flash. In fact, it’s pretty routine around our house. Even though all the experts say you shouldn’t let your baby fall asleep in your arms, but lay them down while they’re still awake so they can self soothe and all […]

Christmas Greetings from the Farm

It’s Christmas Eve at the farm on Willow Road. Another crystal clear and cold night and we are all nestled around the fire after a day of visits with family and friends, two great meals (masterfully prepared by Jocelyn) and an evening service at St. Paul Church. My dad is starting to nod his head […]

Goodbye, Bill

I didn’t want to go too long before I paused to remember the passing of one of the last of the old farmers. Ever since our family made its home on sixty acres in Saline Township, Bill’s family was a part of the fabric of the community. His great grandfather settled there around 1870 and […]

Autumn in the Midwest and Elsewhere

Hey – been quite a while. For those of you who have been following our story, I want to apologize. After a year of pounding out these posts in reasonably quick succession, I’ve found myself in kind of a winter of my motivation. I came back from India and honestly wanted to spend some time […]

India Through the Lens

I’m getting ready to go to India in less than a week. I gotta get my stuff together: Shaving Kit… Check. Protein Bars… Check. Several Breathable Shirts… Check. Thirty Pounds of Camera Equipment… What? I have a confession to make to you, even though we’ve only just met: I have an addiction. It began almost […]