By: Jennifer Richardson Holt It is always strange to me the things you remember about those people who, in the past played–or still today play–a really big role in your life. Of course, we remember the big things. There is that wonderful gift they gave you for a birthday or holiday or that really importantContinue reading “The Things That Stay 6/21/2026”
Author Archives: jrh3181
Comfortable Lies 6/14/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt Sometimes, when an idea keeps rolling around in my head and wants to be put to page, I argue with it. I tell myself that just because I want to say something doesn’t remotely mean that anyone wants to hear it. Then again, I suppose that could be true of anythingContinue reading “Comfortable Lies 6/14/2026”
Making Room 6/7/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt I could have sworn that the summer was supposed to be slow and peaceful. I mean aren’t their sayings talking about the “lazy days of summer” and things such as that? This summer is apparently unaware of these beloved sayings and for the next several months my schedule is packed tighterContinue reading “Making Room 6/7/2026”
Enough for Me 5/31/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt I am rural folk. I live in a place where I wake up in the morning and, instead of hearing traffic and the hustle and bustle of society, I hear roosters and songbirds waking up and, occasionally after a wild and crazy night, the final cries of coyotes. I am probablyContinue reading “Enough for Me 5/31/2026”
Named Anyway 5/24/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt Every home I have lived in since moving out of my parents’ house has been named. I have a bit of a thing for a named home. I dare say the homes I have had, and even the one I have now, are not technically the sort of dwellings that meritContinue reading “Named Anyway 5/24/2026”
Backyard Revelations 5/17/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt It was just an average day in the country, I suppose. I’m well aware that nature carries on about its business whether I’m there to casually observe the wilderness preserve that is my backyard or not. Most days, I’m at work or out tending to other obligations, so I’m not alwaysContinue reading “Backyard Revelations 5/17/2026”
Built for Open Water 5/10/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt Motherhood is not for the faint of heart. You may think I’m referring to the massive ordeal that is labor and delivery. Anyone who has ever known a mother of any sort should have at least some inkling of the gravity of that. No — I mean the task of beingContinue reading “Built for Open Water 5/10/2026”
Lord Willing, There Will Be Muffins 5/3/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt On Saturdays I make muffins. Throughout the week, my daughter has the usual hurried bowl of cereal before school. But on weekends, I bake muffins for her. It’s simply a rhythm we’ve fallen into. Perhaps it’s because Saturdays finally afford the time, or perhaps it’s my small attempt to make theContinue reading “Lord Willing, There Will Be Muffins 5/3/2026”
Long Exposure 4/26/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt I enjoy good photography. I like to think I can take a decent picture when given worthy subject matter. I may well be wrong about that, but that’s neither here nor there. I love to linger over a beautiful scene, imagining what it might look like in a frame. I doContinue reading “Long Exposure 4/26/2026”
The Gleam of Distant Things 4/19/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt I like to think of myself as someone who pays attention. When an idea keeps appearing—uninvited, repeated—I take it as a message worth noticing. This time, it was a word. At first, it passed by without much thought. I heard it once, then again. By the third time, I paused. AndContinue reading “The Gleam of Distant Things 4/19/2026”
Standing at the Edge of Soon 4/12/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt Have you ever had the future sneak up on you? I always thought it was the nature of the future to remain comfortably distant. You could see it—it was definitely there—but it stayed far enough away that it didn’t require much attention. And I don’t mean something ominous or looming. NotContinue reading “Standing at the Edge of Soon 4/12/2026”
Far More Than Tradition 4/5/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt It was very likely this date. By examining timelines and studying the governing regimes of the time, we can be reasonably certain. I don’t think I had ever truly grasped—perhaps I had been told and simply hadn’t paid attention—the full reality of this celebration. Today is Easter. We all know this.Continue reading “Far More Than Tradition 4/5/2026”
Life, As It Does 3/29/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt I actually went to bed last night with a mission. I knew my plans for the next day—everything I had to accomplish—and I nestled into bed with a checklist in my head and a neat outline of how it would all go. I was going to be productive, get done whatContinue reading “Life, As It Does 3/29/2026”
Between Mice and Leopards 3/22/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt Weariness is a beast that comes in many species. This week, I feel as though I’ve wandered through much of that menagerie—studying the creatures, learning (perhaps too well) their habits and their bite. Each one operates differently, much like animals in the wild. And unless you live on some carefully managedContinue reading “Between Mice and Leopards 3/22/2026”
Things That Go Bump in the Night 3/15/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt None of us made it last night. One of us doing that is standard fare. Two of us is isn’t unusual. But all three of us? That’s distinctly rare. My husband was first, as he pretty much always is. If more of us are going to join in, it’s usually meContinue reading “Things That Go Bump in the Night 3/15/2026”
Problems Worth Having 3/8/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt I don’t believe in luck. I think good things and bad things happen with the same random dispersion. Of course, we can increase the likelihood of good outcomes by making wise decisions, just as we can invite trouble through foolish ones. If I decided to see how long I could waitContinue reading “Problems Worth Having 3/8/2026”
Forty-Five 3/1/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt Today is my birthday. In some ways that means a great deal to me, and in other ways it doesn’t at all. Every year I find a new angle from which to look at this day. It is an ever-evolving occasion. And now I am sitting here debating whether or notContinue reading “Forty-Five 3/1/2026”
The Way It All Comes Back 2/22/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt It’s been little things, really. It started with the first time I actually took note of the daffodils blooming. Then it was a few small life events—nothing to write home about—just plans to do this thing or the other. They weren’t extraordinary. But somehow, they took me on an unexpected journey.Continue reading “The Way It All Comes Back 2/22/2026”
The Beginning of the Beginning 2/15/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt The last few weeks of writing, I have been a bit more philosophical—if that is the proper adjective. That may be generous. I can’t rightly claim to have thrust upon you anything resembling philosophy. The term suggests profound wisdom, and since I know myself, I doubt that very seriously. Still, theContinue reading “The Beginning of the Beginning 2/15/2026”
Less Sheep, More Deer 2/8/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt The deer in my yard have become unfazed by me. While they’re casually snacking beneath the feeder, I can come out the back door and their heads will pop up. They stare, and after what they apparently feel is a sufficient pause, they return to their food. Now, in the morningsContinue reading “Less Sheep, More Deer 2/8/2026”
One Bad Batch 2/1/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt I once heard a phrase that lodged itself firmly into my memory banks. It resurfaces every time I encounter a situation to which it applies—and it applies far more often than we’d like to admit. The phrase came from a group of little girls reenacting a sermon their preacher father hadContinue reading “One Bad Batch 2/1/2026”
By Their Fruit, Apparently 1/25/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt I suppose I should apologize in advance. If last week’s blog felt like me standing atop a soapbox no one asked me to climb, then I fear I may be setting up camp there. In my defense, I did warn you this might turn into a series, so the possibility wasContinue reading “By Their Fruit, Apparently 1/25/2026”
The Asparagus Theory 1/18/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt On many occasions, I sit down to write without the slightest notion of a topic. Today is not one of those days. Don’t get too excited on my behalf, though—my mind currently resembles a giant bulletin board with far too many sticky notes scattered across it. As I sift through allContinue reading “The Asparagus Theory 1/18/2026”
On Fog and Falsehood 1/11/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt For the better part of this week, the mornings have been blanketed by fog — and it was no ordinary fog either. There were times when it seemed like it was clearing as a traditional morning mist does, but then it performed a complete about-face, thickening and settling more heavily forContinue reading “On Fog and Falsehood 1/11/2026”
Small Victories Against My Better Judgement 1/4/2026
By: Jennifer Richardson Holt I’ll admit it: productivity is not always my strong suit. That sounds worse than it is, so perhaps I should explain. When I have a job to do, I get it done. If there are things that truly need accomplishing, they will, in fact, be accomplished. The trouble is that IContinue reading “Small Victories Against My Better Judgement 1/4/2026”
Prose and Possibilities 