December 31, 2021. We stood outside, in the shadow of a Presbyterian Church so rooted in the 1800’s that it had no restroom facilities inside. The church itself was graced with light, a sight much warmer than the frigid temperature inside . For December, the weather was mild – but the wooden pews and stained…
Realign, Readjust, Reorient
My brother was in town earlier this week. Such a rare, mundane thing: lunch with my brother. But he lives a day’s drive away, and it’s rare that we have the opportunity to indulge in something so basic. Good conversation over somewhat decent Mexican food, seeded in advance with the history of our entire existence….
You Can Go Home Again
Listening to Krista Tippett’s On Being this week, I received the gift of a brilliant, timely grace: An introduction to Joy Harjo, U.S. Poet Laureate, crafter of words. Chasing down through the rabbit hole of background and context, I fell upon this article, quoting Harjo: …all people have a relationship to place. Spirituality and Place…
For This Day, I Am Thankful
It is Mother’s Day, in the spring of a year that feels like gauze unravelling, too quickly. There are wounds, scrapes and scars; we have been tended to by separation and isolation and the consolation of soon, of better days ahead, of eventually – but unpin the slight tension that keeps us safely wrapped, and…
Advent Journal: Breath
This chapter on breath resonates on multiple levels. In just a few weeks, one of my favorite people in our community will deliver a Sunday morning message on ruach –the breath of life, of God. I’ve read a preview copy and it’s inspiring and encouraging. I’m learning to breath more intentionally; in this time of…
Advent Journal: Alpha
I had a long conversation over the weekend with someone who is unfamiliar with church life. A good, moral, decent family, they nonetheless rejected any organized religion. It was fascinating to see what sort of restrictions this put on my attempt to explain (in response to their direct questions) not only the specifics about Christian…
Advent Journal: Given
Truth is perhaps most simply defined as “the actual state of the matter; seeing things for the way they are,” and it’s fascinating to me that the definition of truth entails having a clear perspective when looking at everything…Truth is found when we can lay aside our own preference and vantages and see everything for…
Advent Journal: Vulnerability
In Honest Advent, Chapter 4, Scott Erickson writes of vulnerability. At the moment, I am feeling the vulnerability of my body. I’m tired; my head hurts. I have an ear infection. I went to the doctor for said ear infection yesterday, resulting in an ear irrigation because the infection had created some sort of buildup…
Advent Journal: Motherhood
Erickson writes of Motherhood in Honest Advent, exploring the impact of an image that was unfamiliar to me. My first reaction to this drawing of Eve and Mary was resistance. Surprisingly powerful resistance. Hmmm. Feelings of resistance are important spiritual indicators. When my response to some thing or some one or some idea or some…
Advent Journal: Light
(Scott Erickson’s Honest Advent is an excellent read and a good resource for this season – and it’s not too late to order one for your own Advent journey.) COVID forced us to rethink home work spaces. I’d sacrificed my small study area to give my youngest son some studio space; he’d returned home from…
graceeveryday 