Faith Gong
-
Faith Gong: Lake Willoughby, Part 1: Those People
Last week, thanks to the generosity of my mother- and father-in-law who were visiting us from California, my husband and I had a weekend getaway.It’s not quite as…
-
Faith Gong: Thoughts on thriving
If you were reading this column back in 2020, you may remember that my “word for the year” — which I chose instead of making a New Year’s…
-
Faith Gong: Dog Days
It’s that time of year again.Our family has now logged in eight straight weeks of summer vacation. We have spent countless sultry days at the lake, eaten gallons…
-
Faith Gong: Hair today, gone tomorrow
This summer I cut off all my hair.It’s a long story, which began in the summer of 2019 when my aunt, who was battling cancer, told my daughters…
-
Faith Gong: Early summer snapshots
The weather never seems to be normal lately: too wet or too dry, too cold or too hot, record this, record that. It could be that there never…
-
Faith Gong: A commencement address for 2020
For the past two years, our family has celebrated homeschool graduations. Both years we’ve had daughters who were moving up to middle school — but mostly we just…
-
Faith Gong: Dispatch from the library desk
A friend asked me recently what I do to get a break from the demands of my everyday life: from the constant noise, mess, decision-making, and physical labor…
-
Faith Gong: Pain in the back
I’ve been middle aged for a while now, but it didn’t feel official until last month, when I threw out my back.My husband, who has spent much of…
-
Faith Gong: Miracles
My daughter found the caterpillar during a hike in Wright Park on Labor Day 2020. We hadn’t seen this type of caterpillar before, its bands of green interspersed…
-
Faith Gong: After the tornado
Words I never expected to say: “After the tornado went through our front yard….” Yet I heard myself say exactly that to my children on the evening of…
-
Faith Gong: The pod swing
The pod swing hangs from a beam in our living room like some overripe fruit in a tropical rain forest. It is tear-shaped, made of durable lime green…
-
Faith Gong: Reflections on a decade
My third daughter turned ten on March 1. The momentousness of the occasion didn’t hit me at first. With birthdays, I’m usually just relieved to have them successfully…
-
Faith Gong: Why we are celebrating
“Daddy, don’t forget to pick up some cupcakes at the store, okay?” My husband, who was heading out the door to run his usual Saturday morning errands, turned…
-
Faith Gong: Crying at the movies
We were snuggled up on the couch (or crammed in, depending on your perspective) for our family’s weekly Friday movie night. In the flickering light from the screen,…
-
Faith Gong: A Diary of Housekeeping in Three Acts
I’m going to begin with a thumbnail sketch: My 7-year-old daughter came downstairs the other morning to find that my husband had cleaned out the oversized “comfy chair”…
-
Faith Gong: Anxiety, hand-washing, and eye contact: A report from the kids
The temperature hasn’t risen above freezing all day, but the sky is a brilliant blue traversed by wispy clouds and the sun is shining on the sparkling white…