How do you pray for someone if you don’t really believe in God? How do you pray at all? I’ve been asking myself this question over and over this week. I used to pray, with fervor. I prayed, even though, somewhere in the deepest corners of my heart, I wasn’t sure that God was…
I Believe…
Belief is a funny thing. We cling to it. Put our faith in it. Use it to define our day to day – to make sense of our world. What we believe is so intrinsically linked to who we ARE that there’s often no separating the two. Belief defines us. It governs how we see…
The Strange and Familiar
Isn't it funny how something that was once so familiar can eventually feel so foreign that it is just...strange? I'm writing this piece from a public computer in our town's public library -- a place that still feels quite foreign to me. It shouldn't, but it does. I practically grew up in my hometown library,…
When Everyone Means EVERYONE
I cried through church today. This is not all that an uncommon occurrence, though it hasn't happened in a good long while...which was nice. My dry eye streak ended this morning. And I wasn't even wearing waterproof mascara. Shit. I have a lot on my mind lately, with the election looming, and fighting for the…
Chocolate Factory Philosophy
If you want to view paradise - simply look around, and you will. Anything you want to, DO IT. Want to change the world? There’s nothing to it. Ah, the immortal words of Willy Wonka. I loved that movie as a kid. Heck, I love it now. But only the old one – the REAL…
To Stand in Awe
Awesome. How many times a day do I use this word? Way too many. “Hey Chris, I got this project done.” Awesome! “It’s 6 PM! We get to leave!” AWESOME! “How was the catfish last night?” It was awesome! It’s become something of a flippant response to anything positive or remotely great. I didn’t realize…
The Courage of Imperfection
It’s no secret that I have issues with perfectionism. In fact, it’s become something of a running joke among my friends that I have a touch of “CDO” [because of course, the letters need to be in alphabetical order]. And it’s true. I laugh along with them, but it really has been something I’ve…
Before We Disappear
I became a better person because of Alzheimer's disease. I had the rare privilege of working in the dementia unit of a nursing home for several years. The lives I encountered there were unique. Their stories both heartbreaking and life-affirming. Those five years were some of the hardest years of my life, personally. I had…
A Prayer for Today
Help. That was the prayer of our pastor yesterday in church. Just -- Help. She didn't have any other words. No comfort, no platitudes, no trying to explain what happened. Just heartbreak. And a heart cry of --HELP. Help - the panicked cries and frantic texts from inside Pulse, as bullets flew and an LGBT sanctuary…
A Passover for the Passed-Over
Why is this night different from all other nights? This question will be asked in households all over the world tonight as people of Jewish faith and tradition gather together for their Seder meals. The four questions – Why is this night different? Why only matzah? Why the bitter herbs? Why are we relaxing and…
VoyagersHeart 