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Coffee, COVID, and Christmas
A banging noise woke me up at 4 AM and, after laying wide-awake in bed for 30 minutes, I decided to get up to make coffee. I turned on our electric kettle, Placed a cone filter in my plastic pour-over cone, Counted out 3 rounded scoops of ground coffee, Waited for water to boil, Poured a few ounces of water over the grounds in a slow, circular motion, Waited 60 seconds for the grounds to bloom, Slowly poured the rest of the water in a delicate, steady, drip, Stirring the grounds with the movement of the water, And then waited for the final drops of water to make their way…
An Unusual Advent Meditation
“The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel…
Salaam
Once again, I am filled with so many thoughts and ideas that I want to put into words. Music often expresses these emotions and deep struggles so much better than words. In our efforts to plan for multilingual worship, Chris…
A Visit With Mom: Dementia
My mom has dementia. On the cottage deck, she sits quietly and pleasantly. I play Amazing Grace on my guitar and sing too low because I forgot to bring my capo. However, that makes it easier for her to add…
Learning to Listen: Mental Illness
Autism has changed me. Mossy has changed me. And for the better. How could this child, who cuddled with me and played so cheerfully with animals, change on a dime with rage? Screaming, yelling, cussing, thrashing his body…. all over…
Sharing Mother’s Day
Something occurred to me this year. Sharing Mother’s Day with Sara actually freed the children to love me. As I entered into the dark place of their pain, they felt known and comforted by me. Their feelings were ok. In…
A Daughter’s Love
My dear friends, I want to introduce you to my sweet and spicy thirteen year old, Ginger. She is a gifted writer, weaving creativity and beauty together in profoundly touching ways. Ginger has given me permission to share this incredibly…