Ruminations from the Temple

Today, in this moment of quietude, I know one thing clearly: everything changes . The weather changes, as does the scenery and souls surrounding it. Companions come and go, experiences are never fully appreciated until after they have passed, and the mind is forever a ruthless taskmaster. One time, a very long time ago, I wrote a small piece describing a walk on the beach – my beloved and tranquil beach. But it wasn’t just describing the crash of the waves and the gulls flying overhead, it spoke deeply about the pain I was enduring within a group of intertwined relationships I was entangled within at that time. As I put one foot in front of the other yesterday on that same beach, I saw the ghost of myself. That ghostly-self will never exist again, but her experience has shaped and motivated where I am at this moment, to be sure. Thankfully, I didn’t wallow in that memory, even though tempting it may have been. I am on a different path now. And that is where the story of this ...

I don’t know a woman who has not struggled with her appearance. No, really. There are a lot of women who reject culture’s standard of beauty, I know. They dress as they like, forego all the fussing of nails, hair, and makeup, and they say with much boldness that they just do not care what others think. But, somehow I have never been able to get to that seemingly sweet spot of carefree humanity – a total acceptance of the shell I call my body and appearance. As I watch other woman deal with it, finding a place to somehow fit into what is called feminine, I can’t help but to compare their methods to my own. Do they grow their hair long or whack it all off? Do they go so-called natural with their makeup, go overboard, or ditch it altogether? Do they follow fashion trends or are simply a fashion victim? Don’t get me wrong – I am not judging any of them. I am just trying to figure out how they came to their ‘look’…are they happy? Are they comfortable in their skin? How did they get...

I woke this morning knowing he had passed from our side of the veil to the other. I had been thinking of him all week. And with those thoughts,  I lived with all the memories as if they were yesterday. I can hear his voice and his laugh. I can hear the piano and remember the friendship that was comforting and always welcome. The last time I saw him was in our old neighborhood. As had happened a million times before, he was driving in and I was driving out. I don't know if he was really happy to see me or if out of old habit, but we made eye contact. His face lit up in a familiar smile and he waved. I smiled broadly and waved back. He was supposed to cut me off, like everyone else. But somehow he always liked me. And I liked him back. Even in the dark times, he was kind and loving. Even as my world was crashing down, he was my friend. I always knew that he would be there, in his gentle way, to help in any way he could. He wasn't perfect, but in my life, and in the congrega...

getting ready for take-off at SeaTac last glimpse of the PNW frosty panes at 33,000 ft the 747 for the trip across the pond the amazing Alps first sight of Greece! This is the first of the blog posts recording my semester in Greece. To see more, please see A Semester in Greece.

I have had many friends over my 50 years of life. In my mind, I live with all of these ghosts nearly every day. As a child, my mother would console my sadness at a loss of friendship by telling me that they were ‘just jealous’ and I needed to just move on. I never could manage to believe her. I once had a friend who liked me because I hired her for a job. I once had a friend who shared the joys and sorrows of motherhood with me. I once had a friend who sat next to me to cry after my baby drowned, and a friend who held my hand through a painful breakup with a lover. I once had a friend who spent hours and hours on the telephone with me. I once had a friend who shared new and fascinating music with me, exploring every nuance of instrument and vocal deep into the night. I once had a friend who loved my parents and understood where I came from because they came from there, too. I once had a friend who danced with me all night long to a 45 record on a po...

Every year on Facebook everyone has the opportunity to post a 'year in review' type of thing, highlighting special moments and pictures from the year. Pretty cool, especially if you post pics of friends, family, events, etc. I enjoy looking at everyone's year, thinking about them, perhaps even praying for them as I take a look into their past year. There is much about Facebook that is worthwhile, and I think this may be one of them. I spend yesterday doing nothing but enjoying watching the ducks in the canal and poking through the scads of photographs I have taken this last year. I got a couple of new cameras and a new home in the last months, and both those things scream for photos. I now know that I have way too many shots of the beach, but oh well. Not nearly enough of my kids, though...boo. So, in an effort to capture the feel of this passing year, a few thoughts: I am so very proud of my children - Morgan is a straight-A student in her ongoing studies in Ear...

I didn't see the Noah movie. I'm glad I didn't after some of the reviews I read and heard. However, this new rendition of Exodus was definitely worth the ticket price. Egyptian eye-candy The story is oh-so-familiar, so I was very interested in their interpretation. I always love to see ancient Egypt come to life. Here are a few of my observations: 1. Christian Bale does a pretty good job with the famous role. And he wasn't hard to look at, either. I did wonder why he wasn't bald in the typical Egyptian fashion for royal men, however, it is important to note that he most likely looks better with hair. 2. Joel Edgerton, whom you may recognize from Star Wars as the young Owen Lars, was a decent Ramses. We won't talk about the scholarly discrepancies about timelines and whether he was THE Ramses that we see in the Bible account...we will just pretend like this is how it went down for the sake of entertainment. 3. The costumes were fabulous. Absolutel...