Author Archives: Jaclynn Loibl

T-minus 20 minutes until I check on my sourdough loaf in the oven. With that time, I write. About bread. About the joy of having an uncut loaf, where I get to decide the width of each slice. Thick for decadent, fluffy French toast. Then thin when I just need a little something to holdContinue reading “Doughing Out the Welcome Mat”

While sitting on the back porch past bedtime with Dave, between a barred owl’s hoots, little Evelyn appeared in her full-length, cheetah-patterned pajamas. Her innocence, cuteness, and articulation were almost too much for any mother. But then came the question that gutted me: “When people die, can they come back alive?” Pulling her into myContinue reading “A Hard Truth”

Day two at the water park was a good one. I’m tired and stuffed, and honestly, writing is getting in the way of snuggling up in some jammies and drifting off. Oh, and I feel the itch of dried pool chlorine water. A sudsy shower and heapings of lotion could help. Rest assured, I’ll beContinue reading “Waterlogged and Worn Out”

I’m in go mode. Whenever I take a trip, I get the zoomies—oober-cleaning and organizing the house as if preparing for guests and their guests, too. It’s not because I like working that hard or stressing myself to the “n”th degree. No, it’s because returning home to a freshly aired, laundered, white-glove-worthy space is oneContinue reading “Sliding into Memories”

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”

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”