I try to make it part of my Sabbath practice not to blog on Sundays. But before today's feast is officially over, I wanted to sneak in and share a Pentecost podcast for your listening pleasure. Thanks to the gracious invitation of my friend Mihee Kim-Kort (whose blog at First Day Walking is hosting a beautiful series on The Meaning of Children), I got to dip my toes into the world of podcasting. And once I got over the deep-seated fear of listening to my own voice, it was actually fun. I got to ramble about finding God in chaos, making sense of conflict in churches, and trying not to lose my temper with the kids before dinner every night. Here's a snippet of my reflection on the holy fire of Pentecost at Mihee's podcast, This Everyday Holy: Ordinary Living in the Lectionary. I just finished reading Kaethe Schwehn’s memoir Tailings. The book weaves together a turning point in her own life as a young adult with the story of Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center high in the … [Read more...] about a pentecost podcast
liturgical feast
what the presentation means for parents
We have to let go. We knew that, right? People told us from the beginning. The years fly by so fast and before you know it, they'll be grown and enjoy this time before it's gone. We smiled and looked down at the baby in our arms. We knew they were right but we couldn't imagine not holding this child. We knew they would grow up one day, theoretically. They would push us away, they would slam the bedroom door, they would refuse to talk to us. They would probably tell us they hated us one day. (We knew because we did all those things to our parents, too.) But we still couldn't imagine what it would really feel like. To let them go. So we practice letting go a thousand times. We let go of their chubby hand for a split second while they take their first toddling step towards the couch. We slip away for a date night while grandma waves goodbye from the front door. We walk back alone to the car when the teacher promises they will be fine. Each time our instinct is to reach out and pull … [Read more...] about what the presentation means for parents
