This week the news has been so full of hatred and negativity, from the major networks screaming bad news and fear, the mostly ill-informed political rantings on Facebook and other social media, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz and, saddest of all, the accounts of hate-filled incidents perpetrated against our Muslim neighbors. It all makes my heart sore. …
Category: Faith
Je pleure, et je prie (I weep, and I pray)
You went out to a football match, a cafe', a concert on a Friday night. Went with friends to have a few drinks, maybe go clubbing later; or with family, to have a bite to eat, relax, enjoy a Fall evening. Perhaps to get lost in thrashing heavy metal. Through the night, your friends and families have rung …
Have You Changed Your Mind Lately?
Over time, I've changed my mind about lots of things: broccoli, stinky cheeses, Texas, being seen in public wearing sweatpants. But today's Forward Day by Day meditation gave me pause: "How many of us have ever been challenged to change our minds about what the kingdom of God means, or who it might include? What is …
A Monday Prayer: Patience/Gratitude
Heavenly Father of All, who knows that for me, Patience is the virtue most elusive, I thank you for all the once and future cosmic two-by-fours with which You routinely instruct me. But today I offer a grateful Thank You for all the gentle, nearly invisible lessons of it on display: The lovely woman and her …
Good News from South Carolina: The Miracle of Pumpkins
Flap on over to one side, Swallows of San Juan Capistrano, and meet the Pumpkins of Irmo, South Carolina. One of the things that drew us to our new parish of St. Simon & St. Jude Episcopal Church (SSSJ) in Irmo, South Carolina, is the commitment to outreach in the community. Outreach takes money, and …
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An Old, Unlikely Angel
I was feeling a bit sorry for myself yesterday, finishing off left-over pasta puttanesca. For the record, puttanesca is delicious the first day, a bit lack-luster the second, but the mediocrity both suited and fed my mood. Today is October 1st, and the fourth anniversary of my friend's, Jeff's, death. I've been feeling his loss …
Wisdom in Unlikely Places
Wisdom can be found in unlikely places, just as can beauty, and if you're lucky, good barbecue. I loved Sons of Anarchy. I'm sure that surprises no one who knows me well, but others would be forgiven thinking a middle-aged woman with a love of all things Jane Austen wouldn't be drawn to a shoot-em-up, ultra …
Even Ted Cruz & Rick Perry Couldn’t Ruin Our Weekend
Paul has been working six days a week since arriving, so a whole weekend off together was a treat. Sunday was already spoken-for, so we decided to spend Saturday exploring downtown Columbia. We found a great parking spot, hopped out of the car and saw this: Not only was it move-in weekend for college kids, …
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Love & Loss & Mustard Seeds
Like a stubborn child and reaching for the book of matches after being warned not to, I can almost always reach back into the cluttered recesses of my brain where Love and Loss is stored and blow flame back into some diminished coal of pain or longing, but I generally don't. Therapy, time, and experience teach …
Two-a-Days & Schadenfreude
The kids are back in school, though football players have probably been on two-a-days for several weeks, because athleticism takes practice. It takes practice and study to build strong muscles and as it turns out, also character. None of this is news, but it seems I am capable of going long stretches of time willfully …
Southern Fried Californian 