A Cry of Lament

lamenting gun violence

How long, O Lord? How are we to bear this pain Over and over and over Blood cries out from the ground Again and again and again Met once more with Empty words and violent fists  Hearts of stone which fail to see To weep, to lament, to repent How long, O Lord We are…

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A Blessing for Emotional Labor

a prayer for the unseen and often emotional labor mothers do for their children

If they only knew that your love for them hums along in quiet work they cannot see, in love that is relentless, monotonous and nocturnal, hidden in acts of service that guard and keep. Perhaps they do not care how fully you care until the good order they take for granted is missing in action.…

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A Blessing to Begin

God, bless the hopes and anxieties, The joys and the longings Within us as we raise our children. Bless the late nights And the too-early mornings. Bless the daily chaos And the quiet moments, too. Bless the growing hearts and souls And their embodied hope. Bless the future so full of promise, And bless the…

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This Is Why We Give Thanks

“One act of thanksgiving made when things go wrong is worth a thousand when things go well.” (St. John of Avila) My children’s favorite grace before meals is—(ducks and blushes from theological embarrassment)—the Johnny Appleseed song. Oh, the Lord’s been good to me / And so I thank the Lord For giving me / The things…

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Lent: What We Need Is Here

Lent and parenting

And we pray, not  for new earth or heaven, but to be  quiet in heart, and in eye  clear. What we need is here.  – from “The Wild Geese” by Wendell Berry  Deep breath. Eyes closed. Flying leap. Each new Lent feels like this. Jumping into the unknown. Flinging ourselves into the arms of the divine.…

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