Swimming in Saltwater Memory
So we’re at the beach this week. And it’s supposed to rain all week. When we got here last night, my plan was to go out and walk on the beach at night and stargaze. Poetic, right? But it was gray and cloudy and raining. Thankfully, this morning there was a break in the rain [...]
When You Know You’ll Never Quite Be Home
Blame it on spending my childhood in two countries. Blame it on bouncing back and forth between two languages. Between two cultures. I used to feel Thai and American. But never quite fully either one. It’s like being Abnegation and Dauntless. And being neither of them. Friends have been going to Thailand and posting pictures. [...]
Marriage and The Church: Can Honesty Be the Best Policy?
Traditional marriage almost seems scandalous these days. We watch Hollywood couples move in together and have children, then get married. We have friends in committed long-term relationships who are afraid that getting married would change things. We see the alarming statistics about divorce in our country. Thus, we are amazed by couples who have been [...]
Lenten Reflections: Celebrating Lent and Pascha Together . . . Apart
Today is Orthodox Easter, which we call Pascha. Christ is risen! Today’s guest bloggers are my Orthodox friends David and Roseanna Commini, who have spent this Lent/Pascha apart as David is overseas. David: My name is David, I am married to a wonderful woman and father to a very beautiful girl. I am currently deployed [...]
Bridegroom Matins
Bridegroom Matins is an Orthodox prayer service that occurs the first three days of Orthodox Holy Week. Though each day has a particular focus, all three days relate to the parable of the ten virgins. As the virgins wait for the bridegroom who comes in the middle of the night, Orthodox Christians ready themselves for [...]
Lenten Reflections: Excruciating Joy
Today’s guest blogger is my mom, Jean Roberts Knox. It’s hard to write a “bio” for her since she raised me, but I’ll try! Mom has taught piano, been a file clerk, been a missionary, and currently is an administrative assistant/office administrator at the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry. She rocks at [...]
The Mandatory Valentine’s Day Post
Valentine’s Day is upon us again. Steven and I have had a variety of Valentine’s Day experiences, beginning with surprise Jim Brickman tickets and me “taking off” a day of student teaching to go buy a dress for the occasion. After that, there was a mixture of romantic gestures, complete failures, and we’re-too-broke-to-go-out-so-we’ll-cook-a-fancy-dinner-and-pretend-it’s-nice dates. There [...]
Variation on a Theme: Iris
The world is full of meaning and meaning-making. Imagination starts with the eye, with a light entering a place cluttered with thought and emotion. We see, we imagine, we believe, we live. My desire for this year: to look upon the world with new eyes. From my little corner of the [...]
And . . . Take 2!
Today feels like a “Take 2″ kind of day. We’re scheduled to make communion bread for church, and I screwed up the first batch, so I had to start over and do it again. Then my attitude really needed a “Take 2.” When things go wrong or I do things badly, I tend to get [...]
A Conversation About Love
Madeleine: Isn’t France the city of love? Me: Well, Paris is. Paris is a city in France. Madeleine: Right, Paris. Because that’s where they always meet each other and get falled in love. Me: So, what is love anyway? Madeleine: It’s when you really, really, really like someone or something and you want to spend [...]
