Post Playoff Packing Up
Ah, the first half of June— time of fragrant blossoms, gentle breezes, lawns a-greening, birds a-twittering. And, depending on your perspective, either right in keeping with the burgeoning season or completely out of synch with it, the double whammy of TWO Best-of-7 Series (make that plural). Did you watch? I sure did. Having been steeped in athletic activity from a young age, I’m not about to change now. Yep, I’m a pastor’s wife, and proud to be. But when I … Read More
Marriage Thrillers? Maybe Later
A hospital stay – OK, except for childbirth — is not anything we wish for. Anxiety can run thick and clumpy, unlike all those streamlined IVs. The food, once you can eat, carries an odd smell. (Not the orange Jell-O, which is divine.) And yet, when it comes to clarifying what is most important about life, and love, a few days in post-surgical 6-N has a sharpening effect. Before hauling you in there with me, I want to give some … Read More
Spring rites
We’re nearing graduations, a time for celebrating hard-earned completion of degrees. My mind, however, is mostly on that feeling of being immersed in ongoing work, trying in a variety of ways to get it, learning from someone else – or a bunch of people – how to do something independently. Making breakthroughs, having “Eureka!” moments, can happen at any age. Yesterday my husband spent much of the day with Episcopalians at an event called a “Revival” — a word that … Read More
The Lawn Looks Lenten, But Easter Will Come
How many words do you know that have one “u” right after the other? And if you do know one, do you also know how to pronounce it? My husband, who regularly passes along interesting tidbits of knowledge to me, taught me the term “Easter Triduum” just the other day, when he was pondering the plethora of sermons he needed to present over the three days we’re in right now. Needless to say, Easter itself has come around plenty of … Read More
Hooping for Spring
“There’s no Jeopardy on tonight because of March Madness,” said my disappointed husband, much more a fan of the quiz show than of the N.C.A.A. That was on Thursday. Meanwhile, I’ve been well aware of March Madness, and not just because I grew up with four older brothers. This year, the kind on TV is just a backdrop, though, to the kind simmering in me. My version might more accurately be described as Mad at March. Is April the cruelest … Read More
That’s Quite A Haul
Feeling weighed down by anything these days? Carrying around any burdens, like a pack mule on some trail? Or maybe you’re one of the lucky ones, practically floating through your days feeling free, like a moth; or soaring hawk-like, with a mighty wingspan, confident in your ability to make a dive, a capture, when you’re ready. Probably you’re somewhere in between. When you’re in winter with no let-up, it makes a whole lot of sense to head to a museum, … Read More
Startling Acts of Kindness
Taking the time to do—to give, really — an act of kindness is a little bit like choosing the right path in the woods…and helping to light someone else’s way, too. As it happens, my husband and I are about to cross paths, domestically speaking. He’s coming to the end of a three month plus sabbatical, going back to being a bishop who is closely attuned to the well-being of clergy and churches; I’m almost done with a three month … Read More
I’ve Been Summoned
You know how you can feel how you may be just one person, but you have a bunch of different identities? For me, these would include: In my current family, the mother who tries to stay up with current playlists In the neighborhood, the woman with that big black dog At my current school, the lady who is in the classroom the other lady used to be in In my family of origin, the little sister In my tennis group, … Read More
A Day To Be Gaudy, and Writers Going Out at Night
Mid-December and Rose Sunday (had help with that) Greetings to All! If there were ever a time for contrasts — the original focus of this blog— now would be a strong contender. We’re encouraged to feel all peaceful and relaxed, not to mention sparkly, but our to-do lists grow longer by the day as we strive to fulfill all requests and invent some that aren’t even there. We become more keenly aware of what and where real “need” is and … Read More
Mr. Rogers Doesn’t Need to Be Here
“We were so glad to be invited!” the woman I’d just met told me. “When we moved in, I wasn’t sure if we’d be part of a neighborhood or not, since our house is on the main road.” I knew what she meant; five years ago, when we began settling onto this street that ends in a cul-de-sac, I hoped it held a promise of new and genuine connections, but I couldn’t be sure. The fact is, when you’ve ever … Read More