Merry Christmas from our little family to you! And yes, that is a second baby in our family photo, a baby that may be a surprise to you if you follow me only on my blog and are not an in-person acquaintance. That’s Theodore Jonas Kinsinger, the reason for my long silence here. He was born November 7, at 4 lbs 3 oz, 16 in long, and almost 8 weeks early. Teddy will be seven weeks old tomorrow, but I tend to forget that and remember instead that he was 39 weeks gestation this past Sunday and we are almost…ALMOST…to his projected due date on December 31st. He is doing well and growing nicely, tha ..read more

This article was first published in Anabaptist World as a part of my regular column. *** When I moved to Oakland, Maryland, after my marriage, I immediately felt at home. The people were warm and inclusive, curious and friendly. I loved to see the Amish and Mennonites mix with each other and with the rest of the local community at a level of interaction and openness I hadn’t experienced among other conservative Anabaptists. Oakland, with its prosperous farms and productive country people, seemed haloed by an idyllic charm. I was proud to call it home. I am still proud to call this community h ..read more

In my life and relationships, I’ve struggled with knowing how to set good boundaries. It took me a long time even to realize I NEEDED boundaries. That’s why the following guest post by Sarah Martin resonated with me. Sarah writes a newsletter called Life Stuff where she explores topics of depth and beauty. The following post is Part 2 of her Boundary Benefit series. If you’re interested in reading Part 1, or in subscribing to her newsletter, shoot Sarah an email at livelovewriteit[at]gmail.com. I am one of Sarah’s recent subscribers and am very glad I signed up! Sarah says some of the followi ..read more

For me, the easiest way to give an update is to share photos. Below are a few of my favorites from summer 2023. First, here’s Ivan and Annalise and me atop Backbone Mountain overlooking Pleasant Valley. In real life, you can pick out our farm in the valley below, but I doubt it’s identifiable in the photo. This photo was taken in July, and another thing that’s not easily identifiable in the photo is the fact that I was four months pregnant. In next year’s family picture, there will be four of us. This summer I spent a lot of time driving back and forth to a chiropractor about an hour from ou ..read more

“Hello, everyone,” she said, slipping in the door and tossing her purse on the cupboard. “Where have you been?” they asked her. “You’re later than you said you would be.” “Well, I’ve been writing and revising and picking and pickling and baking and blanching and listening and living and being a mom and being pregnant…all very necessary items of business, I assure you.” They shrug. “Okay, I guess. We were busy anyway. Any news?” “Well…actually…” she casually pulls a thing from behind her back. “This just came out. Wanna look?” And so we introduce (drum roll please) ROSANNA in the Middle! This ..read more

Caught up in the busyness of summer and a writing deadline, I missed my weekly post last week…not that any of you are keeping track, I’ll bet. You are probably busy, too. Summer is always the season that takes you off guard with how busy it really is. You look forward to bare feet and sunshine and campfires and cookouts and summer squash and blueberries; you conceive plans to take your daughter swimming and make her a sandbox and sit in the fresh green grass with her and play with puppies…and then your breath is taken away in the whirling, bountiful rush that is summer. You volunteer to teach ..read more

Recently I saw this poem framed in the home of a dear older couple from our church. I remember hearing it long ago, so coming across it now was like coming across a dear old memory and being freshly inspired. I hope you are inspired also. No Time To Pray I got up early one morning  And rushed right into the day; I had so much to accomplish That I didn’t take time to pray. Problems just tumbled about me, And heavier came each task, “Why doesn’t God help me?” I wondered. He answered, “You didn’t ask.” I wanted to see joy and beauty, But the day toiled on gray and bleak; I wondered why God ..read more

A robin contemplates, still as a statue on the lawn. He regards the world long in profile and then turns and regards it a while facing me. Now he hops across the lawn, jerkily slowly, pausing often. This is me also in life right now. Contemplating. Hopping jerkily across deadlines but listening, thinking in between. Prayer. How to become a woman of prayer, like my Great-grandma Miller, who sat in the very rocking chair that sits in my living room and prayed for her wild child son and his wayward friends. Her son gave his life to the Lord, and so did his friends. Several became pastors, and on ..read more

First, the big news. For those of you who didn’t see this on social media already…I am expecting. Behold, my official announcement: Coming December 2023! Isn’t it odd how we say, “I am expecting.” Expecting what, I wonder? Expecting joy, certainly. Laughter, love, a playmate for Annalise. Expecting more writing interruptions, less sleep, less predictability in life. Expecting a changing routine, adjustments, spiritual growth, growing maturity. More love…or did I mention that? So much excitement lies within a womb. And how odd, how uncharacteristic of humans, that we would choose willingly–an ..read more

This post was first published in the column I write for Anabaptist World. I thought I’d also share it with you. *** Some time ago, one of the pastors at the church I attend, Junior Beachy, spoke on the roots of abusive behavior. His insights were helpful to me and, I thought, relevant to the church as a whole. With thanks to him, this article gives some of those insights a broader airing. In recent years, we have heard more than ever before about many kinds of abuse — physical, sexual, emotional, economic, spiritual. We have seen abuse that was hidden within church walls uncovered. We ar ..read more