Merianna Harrelson

I am the Pastor of Garden of Grace United Church of Christ in Columbia, SC and the Director of Consulting at Harrelson.Co. I am always looking for a good cup of coffee and a great book.

Toddling Grief

Today marks two years living without you here living among us. Like a toddler, my grief rides a roller coaster of emotions – The pure delight of memories filled with fun and celebration. The intense anger at how unfair it is to have to put on shoes and go on as if life continues. The …

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I Rocked My Baby Tonight

I rocked my baby tonight and watched her eyes flutter and listened to her coos and felt her life. I rocked my baby tonight while Mamas in Israel and Gaza rocked theirs shrouded in white for the last time. I rocked my baby tonight with tears in my eyes and fears in my heart the …

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Magic and Mystery

As our four-year-old saw the full moon through the telescope this weekend, she uttered just one word, “Wow!” There’s something to this time of year where the veil between this world and the next is so thin. The skies are bright with different hues and the moon and planets are shining bright. It’s raining leaves …

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Grandmother Oak

When we moved from the house we lived in for seven years, I knew there was something that wouldn’t change: our morning walks. It is a practice that was birthed in the pandemic. A way for the morning light to bathe us and ground us as we faced another day in uncertain times. It’s something …

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Reflections

It’s hard to find time to stop and pause. When the news keeps coming in. The stories of people taken from their homes. Mothers burying their children. It’s hard to find time to stop and pause. When there are deadlines and drop offs. The stories of school days. Children growing up before you eyes. It’s …

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On Ten Years Together

Ten years ago, it wasn’t just a wedding, It was the birth of our family. Our hopes and dreams, nestled within our more rested minds and our fluttering hearts. And now, ten years later with less rest more mini humans more pets those dreams have come true.

Glow in the Dark

My dad loved babies. He loved all children, really, but especially babies. One of the hardest parts of finding out we were expecting a new minihuman was the realization that she would never meet her Baba in this life and that he would not get to hold her, rock her, and sing an original lullaby …

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This Way

“But how do I know if this is God’s will or not?” It’s one of the question I often get asked. Perhaps it’s because even as a pastor, I shy away from specific advice and stay closer to guiding people to listen to their hearts and souls. Perhaps it’s because in fundamentalist theology, there is …

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Foggy Mornings

Last week, as I went to walk after school drop off, the park was covered in fog. The fog cover made everything look different. Although I had walked this same path many times before, I found myself looking down more often. I was watching my step because the fog was disorienting. It made me wonder …

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