Essay

A few months ago I was coaching a pastor who is also an artist. We meet once a month to work on her goals. My job is to ask her good questions to help her identify where she feels stuck,…

I’ve been thinking a lot about happiness recently. And how to get more of it. In early December I had one of the crummiest weeks I’ve experienced in a long time. Nothing horrible happened. But enough little things piled themselves…

January 1 arrives like a gift. It is no ordinary day, as January 1 beckons forth a whole year’s worth of new days. January 1 holds in its palm a full measure of eager possibility, tinted with the promising hues…

2019 was a great year here at The Twelve--thanks for reading, commenting, engaging, supporting, and caring! Here are the top five most read posts of the year "The Spirituality of Bob Ross" by Jason Lief (a 2018 post with incredible…

For some years now I have taken the two or so hours it requires to read the entire end-of-year edition of the New York Times Magazine. (I may have even blogged on this before.)  On the last Sunday of the…

2019 draws to a close. Thank you for your collegiality and support this past year. The Twelve is here for you, day after day. Before 2019 ends, we ask you to make a financial donation to support the work of…

One of my favorite sounds in the world is the deep laughter of children. A few nights ago, while reading a bedtime story, my two-year-old was clutching her stuffed narwhal, and the tusk somehow managed poke into my nose. My…

Matthew 2:13-23 Silly things are said about the meaning of Christmas. I recall someone on NBC news saying, “Christmas is all about children’s bright, shining faces.” But of course, people did not compose glorious music, build magnificent cathedrals, suffer a…

Thanks to Grading Procrastination Syndrome (GPS), my husband succumbed last week to Ancestry.com’s free trial offer. It turns out that finding one’s ancestors is a highly addictive activity and therefore a highly effective procrastination strategy. You may be surprised to…