Last night I went to a church service where there was a movie shown espousing effective Christian evangelism. In the lobby immediately afterwards, a heated debate ensued about not letting Syrian refugees into the U.S. because of the terrorist threat. Appalled by the hostile and accusatory language spoken by church staff and volunteers alike, I …
It has been a goal of mine, each day of 2014, to write a short note of the best moment of the day and put it in a ceramic jar. At the end of this year I will read them; my 2014 “highlights”. I teach music to kindergarten through 6th grade kids in a rural, …
On February 11, 2014 I put a voice recording on my phone. As I listen to it now, I can hear myself repeatedly coughing (I was recuperating from pneumonia) and fighting tears. “I’m struggling with a challenging job situation and Solomon is eight homework assignments behind and I’m too tired to pray at dinnertime.” ‘I’m …
Solomon has been fighting one bug after another for months. Wednesday Jenna, school angel number 1 comes into my classroom and says, “Solomon is complaining of ear pain. I’ll cover your class. Go take care of him.” He barfs up the tablets I’m trying to get down him in the school kitchen; I have another …
Last August I was shocked when a family member committed a gross breach of boundaries and further stunned when very few members of my family believed me or responded to my complaint. However it’s not surprising. It’s habitual – a lifelong pattern that somehow he’s gotten away with for, well, all his life. People don’t …
It was a Sunday afternoon, I was exhausted, and wished Solomon still took naps. He wasn’t complying with my wish so I played the ultimate ace, telling him how when I was a kid, my dad always made us take Sunday naps. Suddenly he plopped himself on his bed and said, “dads are wise that way.”
This morning I went into a coffee shop and saw six senior citizens – to my left, a couple; he on his laptop, she texting on her Iphone. To my right, three men and one woman, sitting, sipping, laughing, talking. It made me want to start quilting – or fishing – or card playing – …
I was in line at the grocery store standing behind three girls; all black, all quirky teenager, all kinky-trying-to-resist-being-straightened hair. They were looking at a magazine cover which touted “The Most Beautiful Woman,” with a picture of Gwyneth Paltrow, all white, all confident adult, all glossy blonde hair. Without thinking, I, all sunburned, all sassy …
When I must shop at Costco, I survive by dragging Solomon along for what we call “sample hunting.” One day, as we were charging the aisles, consuming little bits of everything from Brie cheese to smoked ham to raviolis, we happened upon cushions that looked like squishy, over-sized bagels where the center had filled in …
This morning on the phone, my mother asked me about a friend of mine she was concerned about who is no longer attending church. This evening, Solomon and I ran upstairs to get the best view of a spectacular sunset and he said, “Oh, it looks like God is there!” My friend is probably sitting on …
