Conservative Christianity has not taught me to be a healthy person, and it has not taught me how to raise healthy children. The view I was raised with, the advice I keep seeing handed out, the wisdom I listened to for 90 minutes this morning, basically assumes everything needed for life – even for…
Posts Tagged
family
The Lectionary and a Legacy; A Letter To Myself
“Maybe it’s true that we are all descended from the restless, the nervous, the criminals, the arguers and brawlers, but also the brave and independent and generous.” – Steinbeck The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany What gaping wounds have you inherited? What stories have been scabbed over? What secrets do the scars hold?…
We Moved 850 Miles to Find Life
We’ll build new traditions in place of the old ’cause life without revision will silence our souls -Sleeping At Last The tall ceilings and golden wood floors call to me. It’s a southern brick house with columned front porch, bedrooms in the attic, and transomed windows. The kind of house that we’ve always…
From Farmers to Abolitionists – A Family Legacy
I’ve grown up knowing our story. Our family history, based on the patriarchal line. I know how the pioneers worked their way to this gorgeous prairie in southwest Michigan from England, by way of Delaware and Ohio. My ancestors were solidly Quaker. Nary a soldier among them. For someone who loves history, especially…
I Am From
I am from country roads and open spaces. From corn fields and the shoreline of Lake Michigan. I am from my grandparent’s farm. I’m from the sunrise peeking over the hill. Oatmeal in the morning. Metal grate clanging open, wood into stove. Morning news up loud downstairs, Upstairs snuggling under layers of blankets. I…