“Oh, you’re the one who lost her husband,” she says as I introduce myself and shake her hand. “Yes, that’s me,” I reply. I wonder now if she caught my name, or if this single event in my life will be my defining feature, the one thing she remembers each time she sees my face.Continue reading “The One Who Lost Her Husband”
Author Archives: Clarissa Moll
Reteaching Loveliness
My youngest daughter adores pigs. What began as an obsession with Peppa Pig cartoons has grown through the years into a full-blown love affair with swine. She owns a full pig costume, complete with snout, ears, and pig slippers. She fawns over adoptable pot bellies on Petfinder.com. She sleeps in a bed invaded by anContinue reading “Reteaching Loveliness”
Poetry Friday: “A Green Crab’s Shell”
As I child, I loved to collect shells on family trips to the beach. Walking along the shore, I added smooth stones, shards of sea glass, even crab parts to my bucket. A diverse assortment of seaside treasures. Inevitably, the crab shells and legs and claws I found so fascinating would begin to stink inContinue reading “Poetry Friday: “A Green Crab’s Shell””
The Nicest Gift You Could Give
The year after our first daughter was born, Rob gave me a Kitchen-Aid standing mixer for Mother’s Day. In secret, he headed down to our local Williams-Sonoma store and picked it out. We’d only been married for three years. He didn’t yet realize how much I hate to cook. In those years, we were prettyContinue reading “The Nicest Gift You Could Give”
Poetry Friday: “Before Writing Back…”
What do you say to a friend whose loved one is dying? What words are adequate in the face of death? We stammer or babble or, worse, say nothing. What our friends need in their grief, what we need in ours, is the person who will allow her heart to beat beside ours. The companionContinue reading “Poetry Friday: “Before Writing Back…””
Have Mercy On Me, A Sinner
During the research and writing of What Your Body Knows About God, Rob got serious about prayer. In his research, he discovered that 12 minutes of focused prayer actually helped to rewire the brain; and he worked hard to carve out time to pray, often in less than hospitable locations. At work, Rob found aContinue reading “Have Mercy On Me, A Sinner”
Nothing To Say
As we drove through the national park, my husband Rob glanced away from the road toward the shores of Yellowstone Lake. A retired couple sat in two camping chairs a few feet from the water’s edge. No books rested in their laps, no fishing rods in their hands. They simply sat, enjoying the silence, surroundedContinue reading “Nothing To Say”
Words Woven Together
Early in our marriage, Rob and I discovered that we enjoyed working together on writing projects. In college, Rob had studied English, and I had majored in communications. We both loved the written word and hoped to build communications careers after college. As husband and wife, we developed a great writing relationship. In our 20s,Continue reading “Words Woven Together”
Poetry Friday: “The Little Tavern”
The greatest blessings in grief are fellow travelers on sorrow’s way. Grief makes us feel isolated, misunderstood and alone. However, when we meet others whose lives have also been touched by loss, we discover friendship, hope and understanding. We cannot lessen each other’s loads, but we can gently companion each other on this hard pathContinue reading “Poetry Friday: “The Little Tavern””
Christ My Ark: Forty Days of Quarantine
Today is a landmark date in our house — our fortieth day in quarantine. I admit, I’ve been keeping track on the wall calendar in my kitchen. I’m a counter by nature, and marking off the days on the calendar has been a way for me to acknowledge these isolated days and make my peaceContinue reading “Christ My Ark: Forty Days of Quarantine”