Tanara McCauley

Culturally Imagined Stories

Author: tanaramccauley

  • Soapbox Parenting

    “You sly dog! You caught me monologuing!” ~Syndrome, The Incredibles Parenting has quite a few deja vu moments. You get the distinct feeling you’ve seen, done, or felt a particular something before. Then it hits you. The lecture, the kid with eyes glazed over, the adult droning on and on in an attempt to impale…

  • Don’t Lose the Wonder

    “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” ~Revelation 2:4~ My kids and I walked through the parking lot looking for our car. “Ooh, a bird!” I pointed to a cute little sparrow as it hopped out from behind a tire. My youngest looked to where I pointed, her eyes…

  • The Knight in Blue Jeans

    My phone alerted me to a text. I paused to read it and shook my head. It was from my husband, his latest response to a series of messages between us. I tapped the reply square. “You’re such a man.” And I didn’t mean that in a “you’re the hunk of my dreams and I…

  • A Wrecked Perspective

    “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Recently, on a day like any other, my three kids and I set out for an evening of gymnastics and Kenpo practice, with a potential coffee stop squeezed in. The smell of mint wafted from…

  • The Goodness of God

    I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. ~Psalm 27:13 It was Valentine’s Day, 2009. The NBA All-Star festivities were taking place in Phoenix, and my husband Jon and I decided it would be fun to go as a…

  • Happy and Prosperous 2015!

    A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. ~Proverbs 16:9 It’s the second week of the new year, and I hope you are still as excited about your goals and resolutions as you were at the beginning. I know I am. 2014 ended with the blessed commotion of travel, family, laughter,…

  • The Nearness of God

    The Nearness of God

    The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. -Psalm 34:18 This will be our first Christmas without my mother-in-law. For some it will be a first Christmas without a spouse, a sibling, a friend, or a child. For others it will be the second…

  • Moving Right Along

      Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Proverbs 4:25 Not too long ago I was alerted to a new comment on one of my old blog posts. I had to read my entry for context before responding, and found myself frowning. At the time that post was written,…

  • The Write Kind of Life

    The Write Kind of Life

    Writing is a solitary business. Sure, lots of people do it. But when it’s time to put words to page, the writer is often isolated behind four walls. We talk to ourselves. We get talked to by inspirational quotes we’ve framed, tacked, or taped all around the writing den, not to mention characters we’ve made…

  • When the Odd Bird Flies

    Odd bird. It’s an expression my family uses for something or someone who strikes us as unusual. The context can be positive, such as a quirky or endearing oddity; or it can be of the don’t-make-eye-contact variety. A bird of the former type attends my daughter’s gymnastics school. She’s tall and pale, all angles and…