“Every email she writes, every conversation always begins with some trouble or difficulty, some illness that’s plaguing her, some suffering in her children, some pain wracking a relative or loved one.” The woman talking to me was describing a friend. “I think if I called her attention to it—if I showed her the emails, she […]
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The Magic Word–Now!
I heard a darling—and revolutionary—story. A mother tells of her four year old at the dinner table, eating pizza. “Pass the cheese,” says the child. Looking to instill a sense of manners, the mother says, “What’s the magic word?” “NOW!” says the kid. That’s bad manners, but very good theology. Most of us are so […]
The Loving Acceptance of Limitation
Sunday afternoon found me visiting the “Senior Living” facility here in town. As these places go, Atria is the Brigadoon. Sunny, pleasant, watercolors dotting the walls. But even so, women (mostly women, of course) sit along the hallways with nothing to do, nowhere to go, no one to see. I found my way to the […]
Put Sunlight on Your List
The Word by Tony Hoagland Down near the bottom of the crossed-out list of things you have to do today, between “green thread” and “broccoli,” you find that you have penciled “sunlight.” Resting on the page, the word is beautiful. It touches you as if you had a friend and sunlight were a present he […]
The Three Days’ Wait
The message of Easter is very simple. When something dies, bury it. Then walk away, let it be. The Bible says three days—let it be for three days. That’s how long Jesus was in the tomb. That’s how long Jonah was buried in the belly of the sea monster. “Three days” is biblical language for […]
The Left-Handed Blessing of Christmas Eve
On Christmas Eve, as I placed a piece of bread in a man’s hands, he gripped my arm and said, “29 years of sobriety. Thank you.” Normally, the communion ritual is mute, except for the words of administration. “The body of Christ, the bread of heaven.” Sometimes the recipient says only, “Amen.” So be […]