hootenannie

Sometimes, life feels really hard. Whether it’s tedious or tumultuous, uneventful or unrelenting, it’s difficult to keep focused on what I know to be true. I become distracted by my circumstances, and let whatever way I currently feel dictate my beliefs. I give up.I give in.I lose hope.I lay down.I stop trying. I once heard…

Notice of Termination Dear Summer,We regret to inform you that you are being fired, effective immediately. Technically, you should have been gone weeks ago – on the Autumnal Equinox, as universally agreed – but obviously, you had your Nashville constituents fooled. You hid your face for a week or so, only to reappear on the…

“How are you doing, Annie?” A simple question – it could be passed off as small talk if it hadn’t been so intentional, so perceptive. And immediately, a few of the tears that had been hanging in the corners of my eyes for weeks just… let go. She knew – she had sensed it. And…

– To go to bed every night by 10pm?– To attempt to eat from the food pyramid?– To create a budget?– To have kids I used to babysit for getting engaged?– To have friends getting married?– To have friends getting divorced?– To have friends getting boob jobs?– To have a retirement account?– To buy age-defying…

I don’t watch much television – and unless it’s “Lost” or “The Office” or my daily dose of “Good Morning America,” I am content to leave the TV off. I don’t have cable – just bunny ears – and from what I hear, I will be forced to buy some sort of converter box come…

If you had the chance to register for a free 1ml sample of a “unique unisex cologne,” which fragrance would you choose? Grease Monkey The Love of Money Pumpkin Spice Cajun Delight Burning Rubber Fourth of July Ash Tray Magazine Pages Fresh Bread Hot Cookies Again. Just… hypothetically. I’m going with Cajun Delight. Because nothing…

Last night, I was flipping through a hymnal (trust me: if you had no cable or internet, you’d be doing it, too) and paused at “There Is a Fountain.” Twenty-six years in the church, and I had never heard this song? Outrageous! So I started singing it, all quiet and peaceful and lovely (belying my…

We come into this world vessels of beauty, pre-packed with purpose and potential. We are full of hope, full of possibility. But eventually, the various shapes and colors inside of us begin to shake around like a jigsaw puzzle, rattling our brains, and we long to make sense of the chaos. So we begin to…

“God is stronger than war.” – Micah Parsons, age 4

Micah: Knock knock! Annie: Who’s there? Micah: Cup! Annie: Cup who? Micah: Cup that meets the water!