You know that sooooo-eeeeee call pig farmers make, with its high-pitched, trailing, echoey ending? Take that and replace it with “Hey, chicky babies!”—and that’s the cluck-gathering song my neighbor-slash-sister-in-law, Maria, performs daily. It’s sweet and always brings a smile to my face when I’m out roaming the yard. Not to mention, I’m egg-rich because ofContinue reading “Eggstitential Thoughts”
Author Archives: Jaclynn Loibl
Breaking the Surface
The urge to write mounts like lava beneath the surface—little bubbles and steam venting into my thoughts and feelings. I’ve heeded its call enough to know when the giddiness and the wiser, more shareable thoughts reach their peak and need release. Right now, I’m in land-sculpting mode. With my trusty Gorilla Cart and lifetime-warranty, all-metalContinue reading “Breaking the Surface”
Turning Conflict into Connection
I love conflict—well, as much as one can love it in a healthy, productive way. I’m not into the no-holds-barred, low-blow, tantrum-throwing, “I’m not talking to you” punishment kind. During a recent counseling session, as I was educating a client on positive conflict and how to navigate it, I thought, “Dang, you know your stuff.”Continue reading “Turning Conflict into Connection”
Where Beasts Roam (Book Part 30)
Previous Side by side, our feet resting on the headlights, Kent and I talk. He teaches elementary school in Manitoba, and with the remaining weeks of his summer break, he’s hiking, adventuring, and exploring national parks. Dehydrated from too much solitude, I drink in communion and belonging, savoring the feeling that someone else gets it.Continue reading “Where Beasts Roam (Book Part 30)”
A Lingering Flame (Book Part 29)
Previous Dan came with me on this trip. Not physically, but psychologically. I was attached—obsessed. When the void within me yawned wider than I could bear, I called him. Just to hear his voice. To fan the flame that had long since been ignited. I dated Dan for less than a year during my sophomoreContinue reading “A Lingering Flame (Book Part 29)”
Aged to Perfection
Vulnerability and weakness are scary. I take a selfie of my 43-year-old self and don’t see vibrance—I see time. I see gravity’s sag and pull, like a claymation artist molding my face, tugging at my jowls to sculpt a bulldog’s flaps. I wish it would go away—the spots, the blotches, the redness that makes meContinue reading “Aged to Perfection”
A Light that Still Shines
My older cousin, once my roommate from freshman to junior year of college, sent my brother and me a photo. She’s standing between our mothers’ graves—her mom and mine. It’s a wet, gray day, and she’s placed small bouquets in upturned cups on each headstone. I pinch my phone screen to zoom in. My mom’sContinue reading “A Light that Still Shines”
Gone with the Wind
Renaissance Beach, accessible only by boat, is famous for its hand-fed flamingoes. But at $125 for a 10-minute boat ride, the price feels steep—especially for this Pacific Northwest ferry-taking girl who’s used to a much cheaper ticket. If it had been on my bucket list, maybe the extravagance would have been justified, but since it’sContinue reading “Gone with the Wind”
Floatie or Flight?
With the click of a button, our first three days in Aruba in an Airbnb are booked. This island vacation, set for two months from now, wasn’t even on our radar until two weeks ago when Dave’s sister casually threw out a fly-by invitation to her 40th. The invite was probably offhand because this isContinue reading “Floatie or Flight?”
Love at First Craft
If only I had voice-recorded the silly and lovely statements from the kids in the homeschool group today. But memory will have to do—so let’s give that a go. Eight-year-old Ayasha, bright-eyed and entirely without a filter, arrived with her uncle, who stayed in the car. As she walked in, she announced, “My uncle didn’tContinue reading “Love at First Craft”
Going On 40 