kendal privette - a spacious place

uganda snapshot - one

2018-07-10T16:45:00.000-04:00

grinning orphan boy, 11,

clad in a

royal blue braces by dr. joe

soccer jersey

and

wearing mismatched flip flops

(one black, one pink)

looks over my shoulder as i swipe through

home

pictures

i show him north carolina in winter

with its

leafless trees

and

snow on the ground

and

when i tell him that in

october, november, december, january, february, march and april

no corn grows,

solemnity

sits

his

face

letters, undelivered: dear dad

2017-06-17T14:48:00.001-04:00

dear dad (on the occasions of your birthday and father’s day, 2017),

i wish i could sit with you today,

me on the Rollator

and

you in the La-Z-Boy Powerlift

the tv on golf

i wish i could sit with you today

and

tell you

happy birthdayfather’sday

and

that i got four new chickens, rhode island reds,

but

one of them didn’t make it the night

fox, i guess

you would ask about

the

garden

and

i would say everything is stunted this year

and

not even a second would pass

before

your

joke

don’t belittle your garden

and

maybe you would share a good one from the comics

a 1930’s E Street adventure

before falling asleep,

chin on your button-down shirt

it would be

my cue to slip out,

back to busy

i should have slowed down some years ago,

listened longer,

and

i wish i could see you today, dad

love,

sitting, quiet

2016-10-08T08:47:00.003-04:00

sitting, quiet,
save
the shhhh puhhhh
of
the
oxygen tank
the hot humid hospital-like room
making its permanent mark
on my senses
shhhh puhhhh
the blind is open
and
there's
c street, evening-time quiet,
calling me to
run
run
run
shhhh puhhhh
to forget
that
the woman who
raised my husband
and taught
and cooked
and sang
and served
and traveledtheworld
and whom i love
is slipping
into
shadow
shhhh puhhhh
c street, evening-time quiet,
is calling me to run
but
my boys’ nana lies, needing,
in
her
last
days
shhhh puhhhh
so
i reach over and
close
the
blind
shhhh puhhhh
c street, evening-time quiet,
is calling me to run
shhhh puhhhh
but
for now
i’ll sit, quiet,
witness
to
the
wonder
of God-at-work
as he prepares his
daughter
for
home
shhhh puhhhh

linking with holley and missional women

meet the siblings

2016-08-08T20:22:00.002-04:00

Carol, me, Allen, Cam, Katie, Mary

i came across an old poem today and was reminded that one of the reasons i love my siblings so much is that they make me laugh until i cry. this piece is entitled 51 because it belongs in a series....

two sisters and a brother and i watched

dad sleep in his chair yesterday

his legs practically running a marathon

and

we began discussing restless leg syndrome

only we call it

jumpy legs

the heebie-jeebies

me –

it feels like i have strings inside my leg bones

that come out the soles of my feet

and

someone starts pulling on them

like a marionette

katie –

it’s like my blood is running backwards

but

not angry backwards

cam –

my toenails itch….

katie –

oh yeah

itchy toenails is a

big sign

of the heebie-jeebies

and the laughing-till-we-cried?

soul food

what do you love about your siblings?

dear hank (three days before your wedding),

2016-07-28T12:39:00.001-04:00

a daughter for me!!!

last night

you slept in the

loft

your twin-bed-that-papa-made

arm’s length from

your

brother

but

when you come next

you’ll be

married, hankandblair,

sleeping in the

guest

room

and

this adulthood of yours -

owning a vacuum

applying for seminary

asking for my sweet tea recipe -

i am

shocked and proud and overjoyed

all at once

but mostly

i am assured

that whether you

dwell

with dad and me on the mountain

with blair on moorcroft way

you are always

in the shadow of the most high

and

that

is a parent's

peace

love, mom

linking with holley and missional women

a friday haiku

2016-07-01T10:39:00.000-04:00

a humbling act
to walk with nobility
trees, in summer garb

what is inspiring you today?

linking with holley and missional women

and the Lord was with

2016-06-02T16:13:00.001-04:00

there's a suitcase on the floor,
open
there's a suitcase on the floor,
ghana-bound
and
i
am
to
go
with it
to meet a land and church i've met
in
picture
and
scripture
but not with my eyes
but not with my heart
there's a suitcase on the floor,
open
and
i'm packing
toiletries-for-give-away
little people cars for a little man
four pairs of shoes for justincase
three pounds of oreos
my journal-by-jenny (with joseph talking points)
and
when i close that suitcase
i'll leave out
anxiety
because God's word-living-and-active
says
and the Lord was with
enough times for
me
to
believe

My husband, Chris, my son, Jack, and I are headed to Ghana for ten days of teaching, sharing and playing. We covet your prayers!

How is your summer shaping up?

linking with holley and missional women

a saturday sermon

2016-04-09T11:43:00.001-04:00

running
walking
crawling
from
low
gap
to
high
crest
and
hemmed in by forest,
the wind
can't
touch
me

amen

what is speaking to you today?

upon hills

2015-09-05T13:31:00.002-04:00

take the hills!

it's where

help

and

good news

come

from

take the hills!

it's where

God meets his people

take the hills!

even

when

you

are

slow.

I was inspired to write this by my seventeen-minute-per-mile pace up this hill today. Thank you, pace. Where are you seeing inspiration in the mundane today?

linking with kelly, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita, holley

i have made, and i will bear

2015-08-22T22:01:00.002-04:00

we've talked lately,
you and i,
in a parking lot
at the checkout
or
in the hall
we've shared text messages, emails
and
phone calls
so i know
the
burden
you
bear
how it feels too heavy
and
you wish it was
lighter
or
not as frightening
or
vanished, even
and you came to mind
this morning
as i read the livingandactive word -
even to your old age I am he,
and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save.
and
i wanted you to have
this
promise
today

i'm praying courage and peace and wisdom for so many women these days. what is your struggle? how can i pray for you this day?

linking with kelly, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita, holley

public weeping

2015-07-27T18:44:00.001-04:00

the twins stood side by side,

matching in their

tank tops

plaid shorts

reeboks (original)

tan skin

wrinkles

and

white hair

their unison and emphatic yes

to my are you twins?

belied their fast friendship

but

one wore the green, hospital, i'm-having-health-problems bracelet

and

this one difference was my undoing....

i wept at the thought of the impending

loss

what makes you cry in public?

linking with kelly, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita, holley

noise

2015-07-19T09:24:00.001-04:00

make a

joyful noise

to the LORD,

all

the

earth!

this day's joyful noise?

wave upon wave upon wave

and

the-world-noise drowns

as nature preaches God's

grace

upon

grace

To what joyful noise are you listening today?

linking with kelly, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita, holley

on borrowed light

2015-06-30T14:08:00.001-04:00

charles spurgeon wrote that
like the moon,
we
borrow
our
light....
and how foolish i must appear
trying to borrow my luminous from
running
clothes
books
teaching
good works
opinions
people
when nothing this world offers
shines
the loving-serving-forgiving-Jesus light
i
want
to
be

from whom or what are you borrowing your light?

linking with kelly, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita, holley

lesson from the mundane. again.

2015-04-05T07:21:00.000-04:00

i lost my
dog

dog

doggie
moses

on wednesday morning

and
even though i was certain
he
was
dead,
tangled in brush or fence,
i searched
one
more
time
on saturday
and
when i found him
(alive!)
tangled in barbed wire
i was
ridiculously overjoyed
i've never been convinced
of death
only to be surprised
by life
so i would like to thank the
hillman solid brass round swivel quick snap
(its failure to secure my dog, really)
for
connecting me to the first-followers'
unfathomable
joy
upon finding Jesus
alive
and this lesson from the mundane
is
Easter's
hallelujah

what have you learned of Jesus in the mundane?

linking with kelly, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita

collywobbles

2015-03-16T18:08:00.001-04:00

i have the collywobbles today
what?
you don't know this word?

(col·ly·wob·bles

[noun]ˈkälēˌwäb(ə)lz/

a feeling of

fear

apprehension

nervousness)

i am often collywobbly,

walking into school in the mornings

on the jelly legs

of a

world-class worrywart

sending the husband a frantic

i-need-to-know-you're-alive text....

how can i see the blood root,

braving the cold spring mornings

and not believe that

the steadfast love of the Lord

never
ceases?
how can i see the sun rise bright orange over the knob
and not believe that
for those who
love
God
all things work together
for
good?
i don't have
answers
today
i just have
the
collywobbles

do you struggle with worry? what do you do about it?

linking with kelly, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita

(thank you, brother cam, for the word of the day.)

feedback

2015-02-20T08:30:00.002-05:00

dear arctic blast launch team,

thank you for considering

our

area

for your latest campaign.

the

sub-zero

wind

chills

provide a welcome

respite

from the tedium of temperate

here

the

south.

furthermore,

i would like to express my sincerest thanks

for the following:

numb toes

frozen eggs-from-the-coop

the chance to wear hats and scarves in the house

murdered rosemary bushes

and

canceled events.

while i have enjoyed your stay,

ahem,

i think it’s time for you to

purchase

your

jet-stream

ticket back home

sincerely,

a frozen southerner

if you could speak to your weather, what would you say?

linking with kelly, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita

put-here-for-me

2015-02-02T07:09:00.001-05:00

chris's dishes and daffodils and nepal-hiking and fathering

this man that
God
put-here-for-me
washes dishes
secretly plants eighty daffodils
in
october
for my february enjoyment
tends to
chickens and teenagers and driving
after
dark
this man
loves my age spots
are you sure they aren't birthmarks?
he
loves
my
every
fiber
he teaches his boys
wrestling

woodworking

wife-loving

and

the word

and
this man that
God
put-here-for-me
is taking his Jesus-walk
to
honduras in 47.5 hours

and

humbly covets our

prayers

for whom are you especially thankful this day?

linking with kelly, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita

dear north carolina weather,

2015-01-19T15:26:00.001-05:00

you don't fool me
with your
bright blue sky
and
balmy breezes
maybe you lured me outside today
with your
sixty-two degrees
but i know you
i've seen the calendar
and
listened to Chief Meteorologist Van Denton's
forecast
you
are
a
fickle
one
but today?
i love you

sincerely,

sun-seeker

have you had a spring-like day lately? what did you do with it?

linking with kelly, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita

a nine-word sermon

2014-12-31T13:28:00.002-05:00

the run down the mountain
was
quiet
save for my feet
slap
slap
slapping
and the dogs' nails
tip
tip
tapping
on frozen country road
the air was
crisp
smoky
pine-needly
the wan blue winter sky
welcome after an
eternity
of
gray
and
the frost was gone where the sun shone through
the frost was gone where the sun shone through

in what small ways does God speak to you?

linking with kelli, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita

on losing and finding

2014-12-22T10:59:00.001-05:00

this is my living room lately....:)

on the wal-mart floor -

a roll-back price tag, $2.62

a teenage mutant ninja turtle, donatello

one dead stink bug, on its back

a package of men's boxers, hanes

just dirt

a battery, aaa

a regular price tag, $9.99

but

not my missing earring

in my living room -
young love, a joy-giver
ruthkatecharlie puzzling and building
with hankandjack
time, a friend now, slowing and allowing us
to find what's been missing -
together

in the word -

a promise, fulfilled, found

tiny

baby

i will be their God,

and they will be my people

amen

what are you finding this holiday season?

linking with kelli, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita

lessons on walking, from a high school chorus

2014-12-08T20:02:00.001-05:00

dark

descends

early now

and

this is

disconcerting

because light

anchor

holding steady the stumblers

is this why i love

Christmas's light

so much?

is this why i love

celebrating the

overcoming-darkness light

that

came

to walk with us?

stumbler

may you walk in the light

through this season

how about you? what reminds you of Christ the most in this season?

linking with kelli, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita

on feeling thankful for stinkbugs?

2014-11-25T12:22:00.000-05:00

last thanksgiving. my twin, carol is left, then dad, then me.

and

for these i am thankful

stinkbugs

as they land on my lamps

i'm reminded that i enjoy the american luxury

of uninterrupted electricity in my home

health

not too many years ago i wouldn't have eaten

even one cookie

but saturday-sunday?

three of us ate 44 lemon crinkles in 23 hours

and

shame didn't show to the party

my dad

it's our first thanksgiving without him

but my gratefulness runs deep to have had

forty-three years of his wit and wisdom

scripture

isaiah's words are my weapon

as i stave off the sad of loss and the fear of future

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

What are your thankfuls this week?

linking with kelli, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita

on living the first peter

2014-10-05T20:37:00.000-04:00

i finished 1 peter 3

my greenway friends william and lynn captured this light

but
before closing the book i
returned to the
verse-i-think-i-can-live-by-today
finally, all of you, have
unity of mind,
sympathy,
brotherly love,
a tender heart
and
a humble mind
i circled humble mind,
laced up my asics
and
headed to the greenway for
running
and
nature
and
prayer
and
living out this humble mind
a little more than halfway in
i
felt
GREAT!
i practically pranced when i saw my average pace was
9:09!
and i'm 44 years old!
i did a little cadence in my humble mind
9:09 and i'm 44
9:09 and i'm 44
9:09 and i'm 44
and then i heard chatter,
the talk of people
riding bikes in a leisurely manner
and i thought
how sweet, a couple out for a morning ride
while i run these 9:09 miles
and then i heard...feet
what? not cyclists?
runners?
holding a normal conversation while practically
sprinting past my 9:09?
how can this be?
i'm supposed to be the best out here today
they called out a cheerful
good morning,
one even turning and running his 7:30 pace backward a few steps
sigh-huff-puff
sigh-huff-puff
and i guess
when we don't humble ourselves
He does it
for
us

what are your thoughts on humility? are we even capable of humbling ourselves?

linking with kelli, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita

26 words to start your day

2014-09-08T06:04:00.000-04:00

dreading the day?
feeling overwhelmed?
i accidentally looked at my calendars
this morning
which always makes me feel
boxed-in-and-suffocating
so i'm saying these 26 words today....

shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

know that the Lord is God.

amen

what is one of your go-to scriptures for the overwhelming days?

linking with kelli, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita

what do teachers pray?

2014-08-24T19:09:00.000-04:00

804 is ready
and this is my
prayer
for teachers and learners
from preschool to college
at
home, private or public -
Lord give us all
peace
eyes-wide-open
joy
laughter
wonder
compassion
wisdom
and
love
that you will be glorified
amen

what would you add to this list?

linking with kelli, laura, jen, jennifer, barbie, sharita