Bessel van der Kolk in his seminal text The Body Keeps Score explains that any trauma we have been through gets stored in our bodies. This could be abuse and neglect from our childhood or from a relationship. This could be a traumatic event like a car wreck, losing someone we love too soon, a …
It’s easy to get caught in the shadows…of what might have been if we made a different choice here or there. It’s easy to get caught up in who we would have been had we gone another way than we would have gone. I always loved the part of Peter Pan where his shadow is …
The American beauty industry is a 49.2 billion dollar industry and is estimated to be a 438.38 by 2026. Women in the US spend between $3,000 and $4,000/ year on cosmetics. The beauty industry was interrupted during the pandemic as women all over the country stopped wearing makeup. I’m giving up the beauty hustle. As …
Each year, a word crystallizes as the word of the year. It’s never at the beginning and rarely clear until there later in the year. This year was surprising to be sure. In January, we celebrated our daughter’s first birthday surrounded by friends and family at one of our favorite restaurants. In February, I accepted …
Since high school, I have had breathing issues. There was this one drill in my training for field hockey that always left me struggling to breathe, which led to a doctor’s visit where I was diagnosed with seasonal asthma. I was prescribed an emergency inhaler and allergy medicine and considered myself lucky that this was …
I found myself in an uncomfortable situation this week that reminded me of my conservative, evangelical upbringing. The semon was similar. The tone was similar. The lack of space for questions or discussion was similar. I found myself shifting in my seat trying to comprehend how I had ended up in a situation that reminded …
The people and stories I encounter in my ministry are not always easy ones to hear. They are weighty with pain and hurt. In these stories, there is almost always a point at which the person reached out to a religious leader asking for help and guidance. A woman whose husband was physically abusing her …
Sunday’s lectionary gospel passage was from Mark 1:21-28. 1:21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 1:22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 1:23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with …
This morning was only my second run in my new shoes, so there was certainly some discomfort. Running in new shoes always reminds me of how out of sorts I have been. It reminds me that rather than tuning into the aches and pains that had been accumulating, I have kept running unwilling to stop …
What a year it has been for our family! This year has held numerous joyful surprises as well as profound grief. Three of our friends from our first congregation passed away this year as well as close family friends. These are people who held and taught our children. Walking closely with others always brings great …
