Mj Pettengill

Every day is a gift—not the kind packaged neatly under a tree or stuffed in an old sock dangling from a fireplace mantle.

How odd was this swirling of love and anticipation—these tears fueled by joy.

I had to find a way to bring Abigail home, but there was no longer a home to speak of.

All life is sacred, and every living thing is a teacher.

It is up to us to reach down beyond those creaking bones and illuminate previously unseen and powerless souls.

Unearthing and transmuting historical trauma and ancestral wounds is a way back to the light. The journey is beyond reflective.

Leave no stone unturned, as the right information may be tucked away in the wrong place.

I have a little studio in the woods. I love this space.

My instincts were to frown and wish away those pests, those greedy hoodlums. But then I realized that blue jays are not bad.

I finally owned up to the truth. My own will and desire created him in the wind.

I have unveiled harrowing scenes, imagining food that is not fit for pigs, and placed myself at the table.

There are many spiders here. I used to scream and break into a sweat when I saw the big ones. That was a long time ago. Being out in the...

I spend much time exploring dark places—places where we are typically unwelcome. There are no complaints here. I signed up for it. I made...

Facing fear in a rigged system while raising children—keeping them warm, fed, and sheltered—is downright perilous and unpredictable.

I longed for the time when God shined His candle about my head as in the days of my youth.

We continue to pass along the grief and pain of those before us, and in time, forget their origins. We inherit their losses.

I slid into the role of making the most incredible piccalilli east of the Mississippi River.

When we finally summon the courage to view our past, we may awaken from our troubled dreams.

I reached towards the wreckage of my whole existence.

The practice of auctioning the poor is a form of indentured servitude, a custom in this country that dates back to the first settlers...