On this date quite a few years ago, I participated in commencement exercises at the University of Iowa and received my undergraduate degree. I think of it every time May 17th rolls around.

On the one hand, it feels like it was a million years ago (ha…because it WAS!). But I can also say that in many respects it seems to be more like the blink of an eye; it’s a little disconcerting how quickly those years have passed.

Every day is a gift; appreciate each one.

In many ways, home for me is only a distant memory.

The house I grew up in (and which my dad remained in for years thereafter) is someone else’s now. Both my folks have passed away. My job took me away from Illinois nearly 20 years ago. Without the nucleus of our parents, and since two of the five of us kids relocated out of state, we’ve tended to drift apart somewhat.

The book has definitely closed on my family as I knew it. Though my hometown in many ways looks the same, upon deeper inspection, many more things have changed.

Still, can you go home again?

As long as there’s a human link, I think it’s possible.

In addition to three siblings and assorted nieces and nephews who are scattered around Chicago, I’ve realized that, these days, ”home” is in large part many of the folks at the church in which I grew up. There are still people there who have known me since I was very young. Others are friends from my years singing in choir and working with the Sunday School.

Because St. Matthew streams its services and archives them online, I can watch during the week and stay connected. Through the general prayers, I know who’ll be celebrating a wedding anniversary. I find out about those who are experiencing medical challenges.

As a result, I can send cards, pick up the phone, and keep old, dear friends in my prayers. When I get back to Illinois, I stop by church and can pick right up where I left off.

So while a lot of what made it home is gone, as long as people remain with whom I have a connection, I know that I can still “go home again” – at least for a while longer.

Take today, for example. Who knew that May 15th is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day? All I can say is……….yum! They’re up there at the top of the list of my favorite cookies.

Here’s my tried and true recipe:

1 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups unsifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts
1 package (12 oz) chocolate chips

Beat shortening, eggs, sugars and vanilla until light and fluffy.
Add dry ingredients; blend well.
Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.
Drop from a teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets,
roughly 2 inches apart.
Bake in 375 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes (until edges are golden).
Makes approximately 8 dozen cookies.

(These are slightly crunchy…not chewy.)

Though I rarely have sweets in the house anymore, if a batch of these showed up, I’d definitely munch! (Hmmm….perhaps this calls for a quick round of baking.)

Enjoy!

~Johann Mentzer

I can still hear her voice and feel her love.

As young adults, women often joke about realizing they’re beginning to turn into their mothers (me included).  In seriousness, though, I’m proud to share characteristics with her.

What I wouldn’t give to have another few minutes in her company.

I like to look at photos of her when she was young. This was Clarice as a teenager…before she married my dad…before they were eeking out a living during the Depression…before his jobs had them moving from Texas to Arkansas to Philadelphia to Tennessee and Nebraska in between…before she’d lose her first baby the day he was born…before five more children arrived on the scene…before she suffered a massive stroke and spent 10 years confined to bed.

Life wasn’t exactly easy, but she lived it to the fullest.

She was a great cook, a talented seamstress, and had a way with the written word. She was creative, loved books, music, and animals, and she knew how to stretch a dollar. She had a “can do” spirit. She was kind, thoughtful, and devoted to the Lord.

She was courageous. The way she dealt with adversity following her stroke proved that beyond a doubt.

Dedicated to my dad and to us kids, she loved us deeply – and we all knew it.

You don’t get to pick your parents…but I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else. My mom was a gem.

Happy Mother’s Day!

So often, when I’m in the field on a shoot, I’ll see something that gives me pause and makes me want to “Shout with joy to the Lord!”

What a beautiful world we live in!

The morning I made this image, I was up at 4am to do some work at daybreak. Immediately thereafter, I hurried to this spot where I’d seen wildflowers the day before. What a treat to find early morning dew clinging to the blades of grass as I captured the flowers in bloom…so beautiful.

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Indeed.

To help you commemorate the day in a unique way, we’ve added some new designs to our line of wall art keepsakes for graduates.

Each one is personalized and hand-created using premium museum-quality materials.

These are two of the newest pieces:

(Inspirational fine art and inspirational jewelry also make great graduation gifts!)

I’m not suggesting everyone has to to agree all the time. Hardly! But I wish the concept of spirited – yet respectful – debate would make a comeback.

Today’s example of ridiculous behavior:

The Chicago Tribune (online) includes a story about an estranged husband and wife who argued so vehemently over the candidates involved in Wisconsin’s recall election yesterday that she hit him with her SUV as she left the house to go to polling place. He ended up in the hospital.

Seriously.

(If you read the article, you’ll see that they’re both to blame.)

Especially when a person is incapable of supporting his or her point of view, you end up with only blind ideology – and any hope of thoughtful conversation/debate goes out the window. Things quickly get heated, the attacks become personal (“If he believes that, he must be a fill-in-the-blank-with-the-derogatory-label-of-your-choice”), and the decibel level increases.

Oh – and in the case of this couple – one person ends up as a human pinata. Literally.

I wonder sometimes if this ship known as ”American society” can be righted, or if it’ll inevitably end up at the bottom of the ocean.

Life is short but there is always time for courtesy. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Photographing the pre-dawn sky along the coast of New Hampshire is challenging. Because the chilly ocean temperatures  – even in summer – often result in weak (or non-existent) cloud formations over the water, most mornings I walk away empty handed. Without some clouds in the sky, there will be no interesting color.

The morning pictured above turned out to be the best session I had all last summer. It was also one of the few times I actually shot the sun coming up; typically I do all my work prior to the sun making its entrance because that’s when the colors are more vibrant. While the “keeper” image that day included the sun in the composition, I liked the color in the sky here…about 30 minutes prior to sunrise.

Whether or not I get an image, the passage above from Ecclesiastes aptly conveys what I feel every time I’m working at the shoreline in the pre-dawn. It’s exhilerating to watch the sky lighten and the lobster boats head out, to see color paint the clouds…and to see the day begin.

How sweet, indeed.

I watched short video about this well-known verse last week. The speaker mentioned how many times he’s seen this Scripture excerpt on basketball posters…the inference being that of course you’ll succeed with Christ in your corner.

Except that’s not what this verse is saying.

Actually, I find the true meaning to be even more uplifting.

It’s telling us that whether it’s life’s peaks or its valleys – we know we can face whatever comes our way with Christ in our corner. We can do all things – face all things – tackle all things – with the strength we receive from Christ.

Sometimes we’ll win the game. Other times we’ll lose. Sometimes we’ll get the job. Other times we won’t. And so on.

Whatever it is, though, He’s there with us – and He’ll see us through.

Now that is inspirational.