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.

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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Childcare Shutdown

In two days, many early childhood facilities are facing the end of pandemic-era funding, which may require them to close. In South Carolina the estimate is that 600 childcare centers will have to close meaning 50,000 children will be without care. Even before the pandemic, there was a national shortage for childcare workers. Since the …

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Up Above

As we are in the newborn season again, Twinkle Twinkle has become a part of our nightly routine either sung by our seven and four-year-old or hummed in the wee hours of the morning. As I was humming the tune, I was struck by the line “up above the world so high.” My thoughts, already …

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National Daughter Day

Today is National Daughter Day, which just happens to fall after a full weekend where all four of our daughters were together. As I have walked this journey of mothering daughters, every season and stage has led me to understand that it is extremely difficult to grow up in a female body. From preschool princess …

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