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Recent Posts

• JARGON and FAITH February 22, 2012
  I went to a private university which means that my classes were mostly made up of rich, white kids, and—in my case—tongue-speaking, bible wielding kids. A few of them could sing okay. I learned in my first week there, a transferred junior from the godless north, that Chattanooga was one of the belt buckles of the Bible belt. I still haven't figured out […]
  Lore Ferguson
• BY DESIGN February 21, 2012
  My great-grandfather was an artist and so was my grandfather, and my father, when he took a pencil to napkins in restaurants or bic pens to paper in our kitchen, he was an artist too. He, like all parents of burgeoning children, thought me an artist too, but I felt that every sparse compliment was his way of taking ownership over me: this is mine, I created […]
  Lore Ferguson
• such rich love February 21, 2012
  the husband left the house by 7am today. he came home late last night with work under his arms for the evening hours. when you’re told to fix a problem and save money for the company you work for that’s what you have to do. and i did what i have to do: i made him coffee, packed his lunch, started the car, and sent him on his way. it’s quite possible that i w […]
  louissa
• BROKEN in PLACE February 19, 2012
  Years ago when my body was spent from months of a mystery sickness and my soul was spent from failure, I moved in with a friend and somehow healed. It was a quote from Hemingway that help that healing along, "The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places" and I had to believe that was true. You don't get to be […]
  Lore Ferguson
• this is who we be. February 17, 2012
  it’s thursday night. i’m tired and the husband is sick. we’ve been sitting on the couch together in silence for the last hour. he’s reading through leviticus and i’m reading recipes online. we’re normal, right? […]
  louissa
• THE BOOK RULES February 17, 2012
  At some point, maybe when you are 31, maybe when you are 25, you realize you have been sleeping on a mattress on your floor for one and a half years. It is not something that surprises you, because, in fact, it was no oversight that left you without a bed-frame. You sold it in a fury of adventure one and a half years ago for $25 and haven't missed it si […]
  Lore Ferguson
• FACEBOOK, UNDERROOS, and SELF-CONTROL February 15, 2012
  It's been about two weeks since put myself on a Facebook, Google-reader, and a few other media outlet fasts. I have friends who say things like, "I don't know why people do things like that. It's attention seeking" or "Why can't people just practice more self-control, why do they have to make it all fast-hiatus-sabbatical s […]
  Lore Ferguson
• what a lovely holiday February 15, 2012
  I’m just gonna say that my first Valentine’s Day as married girl was a success. It could have been that he couldn’t wait to give me presents so they were brought out last night. It could be that in the mix of gifts there were REAL PEARL EARRINGS (let the choirs start to sing). It could be that we started today with my favorite meal: breakfast (i really just […]
  louissa
• A STUDY of GOD February 14, 2012
  Someone wrote me an email this week full of concern. It seems a thread of theology has changed my life and can’t keep itself from weaving into the words on this page. They named it as they saw it. They quoted my lines and captioned them with a man’s name and then they slapped an –ist on the end of his name and called me that too.It doesn’t matter that I have […]
  Lore Ferguson
• valentine’s day! February 13, 2012
  Tomorrow is one of my favorite days. I’m not surrounded by a whole lot of red, white, and pink this year and I’ve not made one heart shaped sugar cookie (making dozens of cookies for two people in a house?! bad, bad, bad.), but it’s still here and I’m still so excited. We’re celebrating our first Valentine’s Day together tomorrow. A year ago we didn’t know e […]
  louissa
• A MIRACLE BABY February 13, 2012
  Todayis the 11th birthday of my youngest brother Benjamin.He was, what you would call, a miracle baby. You may argue that every baby is a miracle baby, and you mayhave evidence to back up your claim. But that doesn’t change mine. On April 19th in 2000,on a rainy morning where the grass was a brilliant green and the trees werestill stark and dark, like a cowl […]
  Lore Ferguson
• AT HOME in FEBRUARY February 11, 2012
  When it is February—my least favorite month—I have to climb out of bed and start my car in my pajamas and boots, because it will take as long as I take to get ready to melt the layer of ice on my windshield, or to, at least, soften the snow that has piled on it in the night. When winter is between a lion and a lamb, or a lamb and a lion, the streets are thic […]
  Lore Ferguson
• MEASURE OF MISSION February 10, 2012
  We measure out cups of flour, oil, bran, molasses and more, careful to follow the recipe, exactly. We are keeping people alive, she tells me. This, her hands brush the tops of the measuring cups, will save lives. I am eight years old, living in a comfortable house in upper-class Bucks County Pennsylvania. The concept of lives needing to be saved is foreign.B […]
  Lore Ferguson
• to my baby February 10, 2012
  Dear Baby I’ll Never Hold, Today I, your mama, sat at the kitchen island, so very empty and so lacking of you, and cried. And cried some more. And then cried more. When I lost you so many weeks ago, I made myself move on. I reminded myself of all the others who have suffered even greater losses than my own and convinced myself that I needed to be strong; I c […]
  louissa
• I {you} ALWAYS DISAPPOINT YOU {me} February 8, 2012
  I was disappointed by someone this week. She doesn't know me. Once we shook hands, exchanged smiles, shared a meal when she came to speak at my university. But she doesn't know me and she didn't disappoint me on purpose. My disappointment stems more from the heroic ideal of her in my head and less from something she actually did or didn't […]
  Lore Ferguson
• love me some bread February 8, 2012
  my newest obsession has been making anything that requires yeast and rising time. i will openly admit that i’m an obsessive person and although my obsessions come and go, this one won’t be going anytime soon even after my passion has waned. the husband and i like homemade whole wheat toast and sandwiches too much to start buying bread from the store again. a […]
  louissa
• it’s a beautiful world February 7, 2012
  yesterday i ignored the mud-stained entryway floor, put off folding some more laundry till evening, and picked the simplest thing i could possibly make for dinner which required little to no work: spruced up leftovers. instead of my usual chores i wandered outside for almost two hours. i decided right then that i will be a horrible housewife come summer. it […]
  louissa
• THE MEASURE OF MISSION February 6, 2012
  If you're interested, I'm writing over at the Hope for North Texas blog today on the measure of mission:  We are measuring out cups of flour, oil, bran, molasses and more,careful to follow the recipe exactly. We are keeping people alive, she tellsme. This, her hands brush the tops of the measuring cups, will save lives. I ameight years old, living […]
  Lore Ferguson
• THE ORIGINAL LOVE February 5, 2012
  You might have noticed a curious absence from my story last week. Or you might not have noticed at all (Narcissism is one of my greatest qualities, so I'm always concerned with you being concerned with me.). The absence was this: the Love of God for me. And it was no mistake that kept it out. That was intentional. Perhaps it was because I was so intoler […]
  Lore Ferguson
• THE GAME OF SNAPS February 4, 2012
  Because I'm lazy or because I'm narcissistic and I want you to love my life as much as I do, here's a peek: These are my roommates and me. We do life together. I tried to make this in time for Christmas, but it didn't happen, so now it's just my desktop background. I love these girls. More every day.Today Season made Chai Indian-styl […]
  Lore Ferguson