Michelle DeRusha's Blog, page 9

The Real Story of What Makes America Great

The moment he spots me through the glass doors, he breaks into a run, bounding down the steps, coat flapping, backpack spilling papers, arms open wide. Yazin’s hug nearly knocks me off my feet onto the cold concrete. His two sisters trail after him, a flurry of long, dark braids, beaming smiles, and exuberant chatter. They both have hugs for me too.

All three vie for my attention, interrupting and talking over one another during the five-minute drive from the elementary school to their apart...

The Year of Friendship & Hospitality

Last November my closest friend here in Lincoln moved to Connecticut. Even now, nearly three months later, the impact of Deidra’s move still reverberates. I feel a quiet pang when I spot a car that looks like hers pass by. I notice my stubborn avoidance of the street where she and Harry lived, my reluctance to revisit one of our favorite lunch spots.

I miss the favorite sweater kind of easiness and comfort of my in-person friendship with Deidra. When my husband and I wanted to invite someone...

Winter is a Time for Rest

As I write this, snow is blowing horizontally across my backyard. The wind is whipping the white pine boughs, and the bird feeders are swaying precariously on their shepherd’s poles.

Two downy woodpeckers clutch the finch feeder for dear life, waiting out the gusts until it is safe enough to peck for seed again. The juncos are tucked deep in the bare lilac shrub, seven of them, plump like black and white fruit. In between gusts they pepper the ground beneath the feeder until something startl...

The Year of Curiosity

I haven’t chosen a Word of the Year for a few years now, not because I don’t like the idea, but simply because nothing has risen to the surface. Last month, though, as I was rereading Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Big Magic, I couldn’t help but notice the word curiosity.

Gilbert is big on curiosity, which she refers to as a “devotion to inquisitiveness.” She understands that nurturing our curiosity is an important part of what she calls creative living, which she defines as: “living a life driven...

This Year, Hold Your Own Plans Loosely & Listen for the Quiet Voice of God

I’m big on New Year’s resolutions. Every year I make four or five, and while I don’t always keep them past January 31 (case in point: “floss daily” has been an annual resolution for ten years running), I always have good intentions.

I also like to kick off the New Year by reading a book that will both inspire me and help me identify my goals for the year. Recently I posted a note on Facebook asking for recommendations for my January read. I specified that I was looking for a non-fiction book...

Favorite Books of 2017

What better way to kick off the New Year than with a look back at favorite reads from 2017? Plus, now you can take all those gift cards you received for the holidays to the bookstore and find yourself a good book to help you weather the doldrums of January!

I read a total of 44 books in 2017, which, strangely, was exactly how many I read in 2016. I’m nothing if not consistent, right?! However, this doesn’t count the five books I didn’t finish this year (they are marked DNF in the list below)...

When You’re Not Feeling Very Adventy

I’ll be honest: I’m not feeling very Adventy this Advent.  I don’t have that sense of anticipation, the expectation that is often present in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I’m just…here. Slogging. Going through the motions. Checking chores off my list. I feel a heaviness inside, an unease I can’t quite put my finger on.

I find myself wishing it were Lent instead. Somehow these lackluster, angsty feelings seem more appropriate for those somber, mid-winter days.

Sixteen years ago on a sult...

How To Wait Expectantly

The morning after Thanksgiving, I stripped the hearth of pumpkins and gourds and packed all the fall decorations away. I then hauled five Rubbermaid containers marked “Christmas” upstairs from the basement and spent the rest of the day decorating. I draped garland around the bannister and along mantel, festooned the Christmas tree with delicate homemade ornaments from my kids’ preschool days, arranged the nativity scene on the coffee table and hung white twinkle lights on the picket fence.

I...

What I Learned {Fall 2017 Edition}

Four times a year author and podcaster Emily Freeman offers a communal opportunity to reflect on what we’ve learned this season. I like this practice. It offers me some perspective as I shift from one season to the next, and sometimes even helps me realize something about myself that I didn’t know.

So…as we ease from autumn into winter, here are five things I’ve learned these last few months.

1. Veganism Isn’t That Bad

Photo by Webvilla on Unsplash

To be clear, I’m not an actual vegan. In fa...

Preparing Your Heart for Christmas {An Advent Resource Guide}

So, I don’t love Christmas. I know, Worst Christian Ever award. But you know what I mean, right? The shopping, the busyness, all the extra stuff to do – it can feel a little overwhelming sometimes. The last couple of years, however, I’ve made a concerted effort to weave a quiet Advent practice into my Christmas preparations, and I have to say, it’s made a big difference in my heart, mind, and soul.

In light of that, I’m sharing a few Advent resources with you today. Some of these are old fav...