Taryn R. Hutchison's Blog: The Glorious Muddle, page 14

Give Kindness a Chance

Don’t you wish we could erase last year and have a do-over? Aren’t you tired of all the contempt spewed, from both sides, regarding politics? I’m not just referring to the politicians. I’m talking about my friends. People who I like and respect, who used to keep their politics to themselves, now feel free to express […]

Graduation … for real!

Tonight I graduate. Didn’t you just do that, you may ask? This time it’s for real. It’s official. The asterisk beside my name in May, when I walked in the commencement ceremony in Asheville, has now been removed. PHOTO OF DIPLOMA After 3-1/2 years of hard work, I have completed the requirements, turned in my […]

My Unusual Christmas Ornament

Every year I treat myself to one new Christmas ornament. I love collecting unique pieces, especially international ones. This year I bought the most unusual one yet. I bought a brass menorah. And I’m not Jewish. I’ve wanted to find out more about Old Testament traditions for many years now. What better time to do […]

Grateful for the Smallest Things

Most people post gratitude-inspiring messages before Thanksgiving. But I’ve been much too preoccupied with my mounting and all-important list of things to do. I had a goal for the weekend and I wouldn’t let anything get in my way. After digesting our take-out dinner from Cracker Barrel (yes, really!), I planned to knuckle down and work on my […]

A Good Quote that Screwtape Never Said

I wish it was true. I’ve read the quote on Facebook. Probably you have, too. It’s been attributed to C.S. Lewis, something that the senior demon Screwtape instructed his demon-in-training nephew Wormwood to keep in mind. In The Screwtape Letters, we are the “patients.” There’s so much truth in that paragraph, laden with poignancy for […]

“I Killed Someone Tonight”

“How was your day?” my husband asked me one night when he walked in from prison. (That’s another story for another day.) We sat on our porch with two cups of hot tea, watching fireflies light up in the darkness. “Same old same old at work,” I said, taking another sip of tea. “Oh, I […]

A New Strategy: Understand & Forgive

I wrote this article for my small town paper’s Faith & Values page. (I know, we are in the South.) Some of the references are local ones. My cross-cultural training to become an international missionary took place in a community vastly different than my own. But I didn’t need a passport to get there. America is […]

Cultural Cues (The Art of Hinting)

In light of recent events, I’ve been struck by our need to step into other people’s shoes and see life from their perspective. We need to come together and understand each other, and by understanding, to move toward love and respect and unity. This post is merely meant to bring a smile to heavy hearts. […]

Pursuing your Passion

What is your passion? What activities make you light up? What do you love to do so much that you’d do it for free? So … do you do it? Is your passion part of your life? Is this thing that you love to do part of your present job? Does your daily life reflect who you really […]

Graduation Present

[insert photo] I have now officially walked in Lenoir-Rhyne’s Asheville campus commencement for my Master of Arts in Writing degree at the Thomas  Wolfe Center for Narrative (what a mouthful!), but I’m not quite a graduate. Not yet. I have an asterisk next to my name, meaning I lack six hours before I officially complete my degree […]