One tidbit about Former President Jimmy Carter, whose extraordinary life we are honoring this week, and First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who died last year, is that the first Secret Service code names they were assigned were Dasher and Dancer. While these are the names of two reindeer from the song about Rudolph, they
Have you ever woken up with a song in your heart? I first noticed it happening not too long after my husband Bill’s diagnosis. I would have a song stuck in my head first thing in the morning…a song I didn’t recall hearing at any time in the preceding
The other day, I had the bright idea (the adjective is carefully chosen) of crisping up a stale tostada shell in the toaster oven. I stepped out of the room for a minute, and when I returned, flames were reaching through the door of the tiny appliance, and feeling around angrily for the
I was recently confirmed at Calvary with a group that included six of our youth who participated in my confirmation class. It was a joyous day for me, and not only because it was such an important day for these six young confirmands but also because it was a celebration
There is a well-known grounding practice to use when we are feeling overwhelmed or anxious. Name five things we can see, four things we can feel, three things we can hear, two things we can smell, and one thing we can taste. This exercise brings us fully and completely into the present moment,
In a city in a neighboring state several years ago, a man named John was convicted of financial wrongdoing for his role in a savings and loan association scandal. When people of the city heard about his conviction, they had many of the expected reactions. Some said, “It’s about time someone was
Today was overfull, so I’ve had a hard time being still enough for long enough to hammer out a blog post. But here I am, attempting to do so before heading off to bed, the day after a presidential election season like no other. This day also happens to be the Feast of
It’s not uncommon to hear someone offering the following counsel about reading the Bible: just skip over the begats. I’ve said it. If you want to read the Bible, especially if you endeavor to read the whole thing – front to back, then it feels okay to give you a
“Someday, you will have something very important to say, and the world will listen,” my Dad said. I gazed quietly out the window of his Volkswagen camper van as it slowly carried us down the mountain. My brothers, sprawled across the plaid banquette seats, were busy reading comic books on
One danger we all face is falling into the trap of stereotyping others. In our Wednesday evening study of David Brooks’s How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others and Being Deeply Seen, we learn that one thing that blocks us from seeing another person is “essentialism.”