Rachel Whisman

Tears would instantly form at the first stroke of red ink that struck my rough draft. When I was young, my mom was kind enough to edit my papers. She was phenomenal at it, but it felt like torture. My vulnerable and fragile eleven-year-old self would start to fragment as…

This week I say goodbye to my 20s and step into my 30s. The theme from my 20s was “growing pains.” It was like puberty part 2. I went to college, graduated, and then entered the workforce as a teacher. The transition was weird. COVID was in the middle of…

Over the past couple of months, I have gotten back into running and was reminded how much I enjoy running hills. Some might say, “Eww, disgusting,” but I am practically a sucker for them. They pique my interest because they are essentially a puzzle to figure out, a challenge to…

Two more precious weeks are all I have left of summer. It seemed like yesterday it was just starting, but now the school year is just around the corner. Crazy me, but I went back into my classroom to get some things situated so I could then escape for the…

My gaze stretches upward in astoundment at the never-ending trees. To my left, I hear my friend utter, “Not normal,” as we try to take in the vastness of the redwoods. Hundreds of years artifacted in this moment, my finitude unable to comprehend the work of God before us.  “Let…

“It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.” Psalm 119:71 “It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:26 “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.” Lamentations 3:27 “It…

At the end of the school year, parents will hand me Dr. Seuss’s “Oh the Places You’ll Go!” to sign and ask me to leave behind a note for their child. The student won’t receive this until they graduate from high school. I find it to be a nice memorabilia…

While driving to work one morning, I noticed myself reeling over the “what-if’s” that were trying to live rent-free in my mind. A downward cycle that promises anxiety rather than answers or relief. When I stopped at a red light, the thought came to my mind, “No, stop that.” and…

I was discussing the parable of the sower in Luke 8:1-15 with a friend of mine. To make it tangible and visual, I remembered what a pastor once did. On a piece of paper, I drew four squares and, in each box, drew a little drawing to reflect each seed…

“Well done” has become one of the most enjoyable things I get to say to my students. I don’t give it out flippantly, but only to those who have earned it. When they hear it, their eyes light up, and a smile brims on their face. It is a phrase…

At the end of work, one of my coworkers and I were discussing dating and engagement. As it was coming to a close and we were both heading our different ways, she asked me, “So, when are you getting engaged?” I looked back at her and responded contentedly, “Until the…

While in college, my best friends lived right around the corner. I saw them practically every day, and we would go to Church together, attempt things at the gym, down pints of ice cream here and there, and laugh a lot. It was a unique blessing to be in such…

Every other week, there’s a farm that I visit. It is far from the nearest highway by a good distance. When I arrive and open my car door, my ears have to adapt to the lack of noise. As I step out of my car, silence greets me. It is…

Years ago, there was a foreign squeeze in my chest that caught me off guard. The inability to console myself was disorienting, and tears tried to salvage what little peace remained. I thought I would never experience them. My pride blinded me, yet there I was having a panic attack.…

There are many meals prepared over the week. Each meal takes time to gather the ingredients, read through the recipe, and assemble for yourself or serve to your family. When you provide a meal to others, you are delighted to nourish them and hope they enjoy it. Some might show…

Every day, one of my students in particular greets me with either a sheet she has colored from the night before, a kind note, a drawing, or a gentle hug. She is faithful to do so and never reluctant. A soft smile beams across her face as she gives it…

Right before I began my reading lesson, I asked one of my students to move to another carpet square. She reluctantly moved over, got settled in, then glared at the student next to her with insincerity. She snarled her nose, sat crisscrossed, and relaxed her disgruntled countenance on her hand.…