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Eating Wiener Schnitzel in the Twilight Zone

My in-laws said they’d meet us. My father-in-law had a hankering for wiener schnitzel — the German version of chicken parmesan made with veal — and found this restaurant online. Jager-Haus had been around forever and had a reputation for authentic German cuisine. We drove right past it the first time, missing the sign in […]

Happy Birthday, Aunt Laura

I wrote this in February, the month of Aunt Laura’s birthday, but just decided to post it today. One Easter, Aunt Laura, in her Sunday dress, pearls, white pumps, and classic white hair, knelt on the floor, nose to the ground, and showed the grandkids how to roll Easter eggs with their noses. I can […]

Rules of Mother-in-Law Etiquette

I was an urban professional with a preference for black and steel walking into a family of colonial country plaid and floral.

She’s Come Undone: How to Derail Your Life in 4 Easy Steps

You can throw your life off track in any number of ways, but here’s my tried and true prescription. Note: If you’re looking for the fast track, scroll down to Step 4. Step 1 Focus on something missing in your life. What is it you want so badly? What do you need to fill that […]

Paula Deen and the N Word

Nigger is a nasty word. Like any other word, there’s nothing offensive about those particular letters strung together. It’s the connotation, and this one has a history as ugly as any. It has been spit out with venom and hatred, with whipping, chains, and every kind of inhumanity. I don’t know how Paula Deen said […]

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Abram & Sarai | The Big Idea: Part 1

Then the sun dropped behind the horizon, and in the darkness Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. The Lord himself was making a covenant with Abram that day.

The Walking Dead | Adam & Eve: Part 2

The woman he loved had her arm outstretched. She was offering him the fruit, the juice still dripping down her chin. The man watched himself take a bite.

First Blood | Adam & Eve: Part 3

“The serpent deceived me,” the woman said, hoping to mitigate what she was about to say next. “That’s why I ate it.” She was relieved when God turned his attention to the serpent.

Sarah and Abraham | Deja Vu All Over Again: Part 2

In the harem, Sarah waited. She waited to be called in to King Abimelech, or for someone — Abraham, God? — to come to her rescue. One day dragged into the next, and still nothing. God had said she and Abraham would have a child next year. Now Abraham had ruined everything. But why hadn’t God stopped him?

Hagar and Ishmael | Collateral Damage

Hagar had always been carried along by the current of other people’s lives. In Egypt she had been sold as a slave to the highest bidder. Abraham bought her and Sarah took her as her personal servant. They had brought her to Canaan, and then quite unexpectedly, her own body, her womb, had been called into service.