By MARIANNE WOOD Traditionally, a sabbatical for travel and study lasts about a year. I recently took leave from Spirit of Abilene and many other things to go on one. I sent Loretta Fulton “Presents of Presence” almost a year ago. I have been traveling and learning a lot since then. From January 20 – August 15, 2023, I spent 105 days

By MARIANNE WOOD The English language is full of homophones: words that sound the same but have different meanings. Every time I meet someone new to our language, even young children, I greatly sympathize with them as they work through many challenges to obtain fluency. Among my favorite homophones are “presents” and “presence.” They contain a notable commonality: a gift.

By MARIANNE WOOD Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Covid shut down a lot of that “meeting together.” We are

By MARIANNE WOOD Preface Sometimes, I return to complete paintings I previously thought finished. This column, as you will quickly see, is like that. I’ve come back to review an inkling of understanding in a new light, discovering a more profound truth that I began learning one Sunday morning many years ago. The Story I feel like I’ve been to

By MARIANNE WOOD At the direction of my employer, Bill Wright, I drove to San Angelo, Texas, one bright sunny morning to get the final interview for a book about Celia Ann Hill called Headn’ West. Her pal, Maxine Acton Cox, had yet to weigh in on the story. So just before lunchtime on September 18, 2019, I interviewed cowgirl and

By MARIANNE WOOD Surely you have “seen” Snoopy or Santa in the clouds. Or a weird animal superimposed on the face of a rock. Rorschach inkblot tests allow you to imagine things, too. So you’ll probably want to know that I regularly see a drawing of a bird with antlers in my bathroom flooring. I love the activity of letting

By MARIANNE WOOD A painting that I encountered at The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth when I was teaching AP Art History gave me a new perspective on the power of art. And with it came a renewed sense of God’s care for me as an artist and art appreciator. I’d seen this work in books and online, but

By MARIANNE Wood I’ve arrived at that age: the comfort-first stage.  A long time ago, creamy white leather pumps completed my wedding ensemble, though they proved too tippy for continued use after that special day. I briefly wore a pair of really high-heeled Bandolinos. Gee, they were pretty. And they made me feel that way. And always a fan of

By MARIANNE WOOD Recently, a friend shared a long list of challenges from the past year. I know some of you could do likewise. I could, too. But while making lists of trials and disappointments can be cathartic, the optimist in me tries to live up to Greer Garson’s injunction to tilt the mirror up “toward the cheerful, the tender,