If you come from an unchurched or even an evangelical background, the notion of liturgy may be foreign to you. It was to me throughout most of my childhood and young adulthood. And for many years, I thought liturgy was a negative thing until I realized that God is all about liturgy when that liturgy is…
Did I offer peace today? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come. ~Henri Nouwen…
The ophthalmologist’s assistant had performed all the preliminary procedures and tests—the drops in my eyes, the “put your chin here” in front of that mammoth whatever-it-is machine, the instrument on my numb eyeballs, and probably some other procedures I have since gratefully forgotten. But she hadn’t hinted at the coming shock. My doctor casually walked…
My friend Libby and I were playing in my backyard sandbox. We were five years old, and I was drooling over the change of clothes she’d brought for her doll. I wanted that stunning, store-bought outfit for my own doll more than anything. Libby was no fool, however; she required a trade, and the only…
“Well, let’s do something, even if it’s wrong.” My sweet boyfriend had driven two hours each way to pick me up from college and take me to the comfort of my parents’ house while I moaned and shivered from the flu. Unfortunately, he had slightly miscalculated the amount of fuel left in the tank. As…
My long-time friend and I are having dinner. We’re two women of a certain age, efficiently and politely served by a woman at least a couple of decades younger. People in our decade are rarely in her position, it seems. On most of our mealtime outings, the wait staff are young enough to be our…