Mighty and merciful God, our hearts are full of gratitude. We are grateful for good health and for recovery from illness. We are grateful to be safe in this moment, right here and right now. We are grateful for food to eat today. Some of us are grateful for work to do and others are […]
St. Anne’s church was packed with people on Wednesday evening. The funeral home invited them; all the families who had suffered a death this year. There was a priest and an AME Zion church pastor and me, all leading worship together. I told the story about Emma’s gift. There is a part of the story […]
A chill in the air nips my nose, the leaves shimmer yellow, gold and crimson against a grey sky, a faint whiff of woodsmoke hovers near. Autumn, my favorite season, always surprises me with its colorful trees, cool nights, and shortening days. Since childhood, I have associated autumn with new beginnings: new school shoes, a […]
I wanted birthday cake, well at least a birthday cupcake, which was not on the menu at the Sushi place where Elaine and I celebrated my birthday dinner. So, we checked google maps for local bakeries which might be open on a snowy Wednesday evening and we found ourselves at Birch Tree Bread Company. An […]
I come from a winter people. My mother’s family is from Norway and I grew up in Rochester, NY where “lake affect” snow buried us every winter. Cold, snow and gray skies feel like home. This has been a great winter for New England. We missed the blizzards which pounded New York City and Washington, […]
I sat on a hard white pew the evening of Maundy Thursday, large shutters of the clear glass windows closed against the street lights. We huddled together in a dim, candlelit sanctuary; choir, congregation, scripture readers, and the pastor who led us through the story drawn from all four Gospels about the crucifixion of Jesus […]
One… What to buy to surprise your child? What to purchase to surprise your spouse? What to wrap to surprise your parents? We shop and plan and bake and wrap. Searching for that perfect gift that our friend both wants and will be surprised to receive, we hunt through malls, pore through catalogues, and listen […]
I never understood the term Decoration Day until I moved to Worcester. Folks in my church actually decorated their loved ones’ graves for Memorial Day. Families consulted to see who would be responsible for which cemetery plots. They planted geraniums or pansies or a pinwheel for a child. A bunch of cut roses placed on […]