94 posts
Is that how you're feeling on this Saturday? If so, that's probably how the followers of Jesus felt on that Saturday between their worst Friday and their best hopes for themselves and the world. Stuck! No way to change the past and no desire to…
Maybe the better question is, "When did Sunday become more like another Saturday? As we approach the beginning of Holy Week, many will shop for Easter outfits. Some folks will make reservations for Easter Brunch. And some will make elaborate Easter baskets, dye eggs, plan…
Me, too. It's one of those snowy days in New England when schools are closed and the outside's full of snowy possibilities. Or to stay inside, brew a cup of tea, grab a good book and enjoy some holy hibernation. Some sacred stillness. Well, earlier…
Remember, How The Grinch Stole Christmas? It's one of my favorite Christmas stories and annual T.V. shows. Thank you, Dr. Seuss. As to why the Grinch stole Christmas, Dr. Seuss offers several possibilities. But he concludes with this assessment, "But I think that the most…
Home. Feels good to be back home after enjoying Thanksgiving with my North Carolina family. The season of Advent began before the last of the turkey turned into Chris's soup. So, now what? It feels like the squeeze is on. But like my friend, Maggie…
My friend, Maggie Rowe, writes a blog, which I heartily recommend: maggie@maggierowe.com. In her recent post, March 4th, she quotes Elizabeth Hudson. "March is the only month that is both a noun and a verb, an instruction, a direction, an encouragement to move, to stomp,…
We need both. Laughter and stories connect us. We need the good, unfinished and sad stories. Real stuff. When we keep our secrets, build walls for self-preservation, we fail to live fully. For example, in a recent essay by Pope Francis he wrote, "Those who…
Today's one of those days. Hot, humid and heaven-sent after a rainy winter and spring. And then there's my Grand Lily. Picked her up at the airport yesterday, fresh from Dublin. As I write, I hear her singing upstairs. She's easy to have around. Good…
Remember when old Ebenezer awoke from those troubling dreams and found out he hadn't missed Christmas after all? Well, that's a little like how I felt after I returned from my recent travels. I thought I missed spring. But I didn't. While we're not as…
Well, I just returned from my annual appointment with a mammogram machine. I keep wondering at what age is one free to stop this torture?! But Mary Ann, the technician, wished me a Happy New "Yeaah" (She's from Glosta) and reminded me to book early…
Stuck in traffic made the bumper sticker easy to read. "France called. They want their statue back." What?! Oh, I get it. Sometime after our relatives came through Ellis Island, too many of us preferred signs stating, "KEEP OUT" instead of "Give me your tired,…
The older I get, the less I want or need and the more I'm aware of the needs of others. And it's not because I can't think of anything I want or need, it's because I'm more aware of everything I already have. I've come…
Saw in the newspaper that President Biden pardoned two turkeys. Liberty and Bell received a repreive. Sorta like an early Christmas present. Although I wouldn't crow prematurely, Pardoned Twosome. Not everyone prefers a Christmas goose. Apparently, according to a recent post(11/20/23) by Garrison Keillor, "…
It was one of those days. I got up earlier than usual to wash my hair. While it's thinner than when I was younger, it still takes time. I'm not one to just put on a baseball cap and hope for the best. Nor, did…
It cost too much so I said, "Not now, maybe another time." The man, at our local Ace hardware, smiled and said, "If I give you my discount, it's this much." I was stunned at his generosity and kindness. So, I said, " Wow! Thank…
Welcome to the first week of this New Year. Christmas is history, for most. As Lily and I drove home from lunch in Larkspur, we noticed curbs laden with evergreen trees tossed beside bins for trash or recycling. Sorta sad. One day you're the star…
Whenever we sing the Twelve Days of Christmas, I catch my breath on day #5. You know, " FIVE GOL-DEN R I N G S!" Well, today's been a catch your breath kinda day. Just the Grands and me on this drizzly day. Since it's…
Yesterday I drove to Lynnfield's MarketStreet with two gifts in mind. MarketStreet's a unique collection of shops and restaurants, unlike enclosed malls. While different, I didn't expect a sermon. As I approached the first rotary, a single blinking sign, BELIEVE , "preached." Granted, at noontime…
Oh, to be sure, I still have some leftover turkey to eat and words of gratitude to express. But Thanksgiving, as an official day, is over until next year. So are Black Friday and Cyber Monday, thankfully. And while I love Thanksgiving, I'm so ready…
Well, not the trash talking some do to distract or demean during a game? I'm talking about folks who pickup our trash. Imagine if the garbage of our lives just piled up outside the door? A while back, sanitation workers went on strike in NYC.…
Summer's here. Yesterday I stopped at a farmstand to pick up some freshly picked strawberries. Nothing like New England strawberries. They're smaller and sweeter, unlike ones shipped from faraway places in hope they'll ripen some day. As I stood in line behind a woman stocking…
It's where most of us live our dash, in silent Saturdays. Life tucked between the headlines of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Nothing all that bad or good going on. Just life lived but largely unnoticed. No miracles around. Maybe a little like the disciples,…
Today qualifies as one of those days, when life slows, then halts as nature determines the agenda. While I slept last night, a blizzard formed, roaring up the east coast on January's final Saturday. When I awoke, visibility was next to nil. Somewhere beyond my…
"Christmas is over, Momo!" My youngest Grand shouted in response to my wish to watch a Christmas movie on December 30th, which is the sixth day of Christmas in the Episcopal church. But not to my Grand, Poco. To her anything Christmassy ended December 25th…
Well, I needed hope. For days I tried booking my booster. CVS suggested I head to Haverhill on December 20th. Too late. Finally, I stopped by Gloucester's Senior Center. They referred me to Conley's drug store in Ipswich. And so it came to pass I…
It's been awhile. Almost two weeks. In between blogs, life happened. Heather and Basil flew in for a visit, an early cause for thanksgiving. When I was young, time moved sloth-like. Not anymore. Blink and yesterday's tomorrow. Sometime this month, the days shortened, temperatures dropped,…
They chose wrong, if style, social status or salaries determine one's worth. Some skirt around them and their red kettles when Christmas rolls around. We may pause to listen to Christmas carols, played by a group of brass players. Or sometimes out of guilt or…
Mama loved hats, but nothing like Ms. Laverne who I met on ABC news last night. She's 82 and a member of the Metropolitan Baptist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Every Sunday, during the pandemic, Ms. Laverne watched church on-line but dressed like she was heading…
As winter goes, ours was mild, but felt harsh due to the pandemic, politics and isolation. One can take just so much winter weather or words. But I sensed we're on the cusp of spring, after listening to President Biden address our nation with reality…
Graduation day loomed. One evening Jud and I puzzled over what to give the Gordon College graduating class. What did we pray they'd grow up to be? That we'd be? We wanted them to become men and women of the cloth. This wasn't about clergy,…
These are ordinary times. Not Advent, Christmas, Lent or Easter but simply ordinary. This is according to the Church liturgical year, not the Boston Globe or a social commentator. Well, yesterday, Dean Robert reminded me of this period, the ordinary days between the significant seasons…
Whew! I'm not late. I feel like Scrooge who awoke and learned he hadn't missed Christmas. There's still time to send Christmas greetings! Thank God for the internet.(sometimes) As for you who sent cards through the much maligned US Postal Service, thank you. You deserve…
For days Dean Robert taught about trees. Not Christmas trees but the ones we live among throughout the year. England abounds in astonishing varieties. Today, as the Dean began morning prayers from the Canterbury gardens he simply stated, "This morning I sit beneath a Crabapple…
They celebrate Letter Writing Day and National Tree Week in England. Dean Robert's taught me much about life here and there from his pulpit amidst roses and roosters in the gardens, patches and pens around the Canterbury Cathedral. Yesterday, the first Sunday of Advent, the…
They're up! I spotted some Christmas lights in Essex and I couldn't be happier. Really. Usually I'm a holdout on Christmas music until the evening or day after Thanksgiving. Same goes for decorating. But not this year. I crave all the carols and color possible.…
Well, it's been awhile since we talked. However, it's not your fault. I just ran out of words. So I went back to winnowing and sorting through the stuff of my life. And I prayed. Some days I need reassurance God's not given up on…
Well, it's been awhile since we talked. However, it's not your fault. I just ran out of words. So I went back to winnowing and sorting through the stuff of my life. And I prayed. Some days I need reassurance God's not given up on…
Last Sunday was one of my favorite Easters ever. It felt like deep down joy took a seat and stayed. So much was different. Since I haven't been to the grocery store in over a month, no Easter Lily perfumed the air. Nor did I…
Good old Pete! Always good for a laugh, a story about the big one that got away. Now, he's the one who got away, or so it seemed back then. Rugged Peter, so quick to flip you off or flap his gums, until he met…
Just to be clear, I don't always wake up singing hymns. This one left me thinking of Jud and reflecting. "Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, I'm gonna love one man till I die" from Showboat. Well, it's not the exact lyrics but it's what…
To squander is to waste what should be valued, especially time, but also money and opportunities. Guilty! Yesterday, while sorting stuff into three piles mentally marked: Keep , Toss or Giveaway , I realized how much time and money I'd squandered over the years. Before…
After almost five weeks in California, I returned to Christmas at my condo, which I kinda liked. Held mail included cards and a few packages to open. Enjoyed doing both beside a tree with Christmas music playing in the background. I'm still opening and unwrapping.…
Looking back, it was a year of loss, twenty pounds lost. Hadn't made a New Year's resolution to "lose weight" in 2019, since lost weight always found me before I could celebrate with a small hot fudge sundae. My goals, resolutions and lists tend to…
Jiggled the key into the designated spot, still showing dribbles from my attempt at lubricating the mailbox keyhole. Better. Lock's old and stiff, like someone I know. Last week I reported to my family about my check-up at the Dr. After looking at some data,…
Today's Black Friday. Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving. Which day matters more in our buy-buy culture? The Boston Globe landed with a thud yesterday, jammed with inserts and ads. The mailbox's filled with more of the same, plus catalogs. This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent,…
The child loves music but so do many children around the world. What makes this different is how Ronan, age nine, responded last spring when his grandfather took him to Symphony Hall to hear a concert by the Handel and Haydn Society. This past week…
Lent's on its last legs, the final days of giving up, if we haven't already given in to impulses and habits. Tonight some of us will go to church, not because we're so holy, more because we're needy and grateful for something we don't quite…
Shared lunch with a new friend last week. Friend: So how's the diet coming? Dieter: Had one egg for breakfast. Friend: Scrambled? Dieter: Cadbury I can hear my son, "Mom, just say it was a joke instead of trying to make it sound like a…
Growing up Baptist left me almost as ignorant of this sacred season as my granddaughter, Maggie. When she was four years old and a recent comer with Jud and me to the Episcopal church, Maggie joined a Sunday School class of beginners. When asked, "Does…
Garrison Keillor, a Minnesotan, recently reminded us wimps, "It's winter, not the tribulation!" Yet, here I sit, hiding out in my room in Palm Desert. It's cold outside, in the 50s. "Unseasonably," according to the weather woman. I've spotted some Canadians in the pool, hopping…
That's what I read in the paper, "We're half-way to Spring." That's a dose of perspective to warm the heart, if not the 11 degrees below zero windchill. Some of you must've wondered what happened to me. Well, I ran into a snag with this…
Christmas decorations tend to hang around New England a good bit past their prime. Me,too. Last week I passed by a yard full of inflatable snowmen, wobbling away, while Santa lay flattened, all the air sucked out of him. Been there. Like this morning when…
My schedule reminded me "routine colonoscopy in two weeks" until the mail arrived with an invitation to an Advent luncheon and program. What to do? Lets just say, I really enjoyed the Advent gathering, drinking Christmas cheer instead of some solution determined to keep me…
The box read: EVERYTHING CHRISTIAN for less. Troubling words. Black Friday taunts Thanksgiving, Cyber Monday muscles into the workweek, and we who call ourselves, followers of Christ, must cringe at the notion Christianity's become discountable. Of course, that's not what the marketing department meant, but...…
Feels like we leapt from January to May around here. Flipped the calendar to May, then flung flannel sheets into the laundry. Surely, the worst is over. January's taken sick leave. We're sick of January. Driving to physical therapy, I noticed a hopeful sign posted…
It's been a month since the surgery. Between March 12th and April 12th a lot's happened and pretty much all of it without me. Life never sits back and waits while we nurse a knee, pause to ponder, or sit a spell to catch our…
The convergence of Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day gave me pause. Who wants to be caught with ashes on their forehead and chocolate smudges on their mouth? But then, such extremes too often mark this journey of faith. I often find myself swinging between faithful…
If I thought it was hard putting up the Christmas tree, taking it down proved harder, since, for the better part of two months it delivered " tidings of great joy." Why now? Maybe because February's coming with heart-shaped everything plus Lent. Feels awkward ushering…
Sound asleep when the earth shook last night. Alarming to be awakened by an earthquake. Call me crazy but I prefer a blizzard, even one like the bombogenesis pummeling the east coast. Changed my flight to remain in California two more days. Before the earth…
Feeling my age, slowing down. It's a daily challenge to focus on what can be done versus can't or shouldn't. Kate told me I was lucky, related to her, not aging. "Momo, you're the only person I've had sleepovers with. You're lucky." I am lucky…
To some, November's a depressing month, when nature dulls down. Trees stand leafless, naked until snow blankets their branches. Days shorten, darkness lengthens. How wise, President Lincoln, to declare a day of Thanksgiving, to interrupt the bleakness with reminders of blessings. The older I get,…
Brandi and Dana Bates care. Gordon grads. Harbingers of hope through their New Horizons Foundation. God's heart and hands to the easily forgotten in Lupeni, Romania. Having been away for several days, I spent part of today catching up, including reading Brandi's thoughts on Autumn…
My brother, Dan, and I sat talking tonight about growing up in places where Halloween wasn't the thing. It didn't spring from religious convictions, like beware of evil in costumes, more that we lived out in the country or in places not conducive to romping…
Sweater weather. I love these early fall days when just a sweater will do. Today's full on Indian Summer, warm and welcoming. Toes peek from sandals, enjoying flexibility and fresh air for another day or two, knowing too soon they'll be sheathed in socks for…
Reduced for clearance: beach towels, sand pails, hapless hanging baskets, and other items devalued to make space for back-to-school supplies, Halloween stuff, and goods befitting fall and winter. As days shorten, nights cool and the pace quickens, I'm not ready for fall to push against…
Can't figure out what's happening today. Feels like I'm marching in place, going nowhere. Maybe the chill of the day's settled into more than my bones. Maybe there's something lurking in the refrigerator, leaving me feeling like I'm having a spiritual crisis when it's just…
Preparing for next week's New Testament class found me immersed in Revelation. It didn't take long before I felt myself reeling from frightening words, terrified by images, puzzled by symbols. Took me back to my childhood's Sunday night services with diagramed attempts at explaining the…
After the lament during the Lenten season, Easter Sunday exploded with joyful sounds, colors, tastes and words. None more doom shattering than, "Christ is risen!" We couldn't seem to say it enough yesterday in church, along with pent-up Alleluias. As I've grown older and observed…
Sometimes God whispers through the words of others. I've taken to looking for Him in novels, newspapers, magazines, even billboards. One day a package arrived, heaven sent by Laura and Amazon. Two books. The unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Love Song of Miss…
Still remnants of Christmas on a few porches. Evergreen wreaths, yellowed by time, look uneasy as Spring hides hopeful around the bend. Meanwhile, a Nor'easter huffs and puffs outside the window. Winter busy bullying Spring. Maybe that's how it was for those shepherds, life stuck…
I was a wiggler. Still am, though not as much. From parents and teachers I heard, "Focus!" Now, my morning prayers often include, "Lord, help me focus on what matters most to You this day." Don't always get there, but it slows me down to…
Giving to instead of giving up during Lent continues to prick my conscience. Needs overwhelm. A few weeks ago, driving to the Phoenix airport along 24th street, the landscape shifted swiftly from boutiques to the blight linked with poverty. Maybe because it was Sunday, contrasts…
Yesterday our Lenten Ladies gathered for Welsh Teacakes in honor of St. David's Day(thanks to Lillian, baker and knower of saints) and to discuss our book: Flesh and Blood Jesus by Dan Russ. Focusing on the humanity of Jesus, as this book does, forces a…
A favorite search, when traveling, is finding a church to attend on Sunday. Choosing traditional services often sets me among white, gray, blue or no hair folks, instead of near amps, the size of small closets, and drums. Need to watch becoming rigid, since Basil's…
Christmas Morning. Grabbed the Sunday Globe off the porch, surprised and pleased at how thin. Few inserts, hawking wares on this quiet day. Even the ocean stilled. Few cars on the road as I drove to church. Parking lots empty of all but a few…
Love giving and receiving Christmas cards, letters, and packages. Hand-written letters/notes, still the best. I know. I'm old. No card or hand-written letter from me, however, since I'm hoping for a family photo at Christmas. Think Valentine's Day........or Easter. Last Sunday, Patrick ended the series…
The 4th Sunday of Advent's history. How'd it come and go so fast? Some of it's because I flew to North Carolina for Thanksgiving, surprised to learn, upon returning, the first Sunday of Advent'd already come and gone. Then, yesterday snuck up, announcing the 4th…
The closet's lined with cedar. Crack open the door, breathe, step back in time, if only to retrieve winter woolens. I'd gone downstairs to haul up boxes of ornaments, forcing myself to make Christmas happen, to replicate, as much as possible, what Jud and I…
Could've been June when light lingers longest, but Christmas comes at the darkest time of the year. Perfect timing. This weekend sparkled with Gordon's magnificent Christmas Gala, annual tree lighting at Old Nugent Farm and last night's Procession with Carols for Advent at our church.…
Growing up Baptist, we didn't do Advent. While December meant rehearsing for the annual Christmas pageant, several Sundays in December, the other days resembled normal Christmas : baking, shopping, decorating,wrapping, Daddy preparing sermons and Mama making sure there'd be enough bathrobes for the shepherds. Don't…
The long folding table looked at home in the living room, set festive for the Thanksgiving meal. The dining room table, dressed to match, welcomed eight more people. Nineteen found more than a meal at Ralph and Chris's home. We all needed a place to…
Seasonal allergy time, not to the usual suspects, for me. It's the rush-ins. Went to the store and saw Summer on sale, along with displays for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas! It's still, officially, Summer. As I've aged, time's accelerated. That which, I was convinced at…
Final vacation day of Summer for most. No time off, until maybe Thanksgiving. Same old, same old since Sunday's become like any other day for most of us. Not always a choice. Maybe that's why so many of us drag around bone weary. "Six days…
After leaving Stavanger last evening, we hugged the western coast of Norway until we entered the first fjord about 6:00 this morning. Awoke early, eager to catch the first glimpse of this spectacular part of the cruise. To reach our port of call, we needed…
"Momo, could you make pancakes and Christmas Tea for breakfast tomorrow?" Heather and Basil'd come for a long weekend, a month after his 6th birthday. I'd promised a party. Not surprised that he'd asked for Norwegian pancakes, but Christmas Tea in late April? Besides, he…
Early March leaves me reticent to pack away winter's trappings but I relished shedding a few layers, after our weatherman announced " a warming trend ." Love those southwesterly winds. Stepped outside and discovered signs of that trend, buds on bushes and green shoots poking…
Arrived home after a bumpy flight across the country. Two angels, Donna and June, picked me up at Logan, brought me home, hauled my luggage upstairs and left me a still-warm broccoli/chicken calzone. Thoughtful friends. Gordon's full of good folks. Slept late for Gloucester but…
One day last week Lily and I headed into Nordstrom for lunch and a look at some of the after-Christmas sales. A weighed-down man waddled ahead of us, assorted packages plastered like bulky barnacles to his chest and arms. Stuff to be returned here and…
That was her name. Epiphany. She wore no name tag. I asked her name a few days before when I'd handed her my parking ticket and credit card at the MGH parking garage where she cashiered. This time friendship interrupted function with,"How's your husband doing?"…
Maggie's singing, "Rise Up Shepherds and Follow" in the pageant on Christmas Eve. She's the eight year old Grand who challenges me to plan my funeral by nudging me to choose what I'd like sung. The more we talk about the service, the more it…
Basil hurried to the advent calendar to see what surprise lay hidden in the slip of paper curled 'round the ring for today. Heather did the planning and writing, as I'd done for her and Chad when they were children. December 11th read, "Momo picks…
Kate took it off her head and handed it to me last Friday evening. It was the day after Thanksgiving and a night of interrupted sleep. Not a good Friday, when you spend a chunk of it at the doctor's office, getting help for strep…
For most of us, there are several grand occasions in a calendar year, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, weddings, birthdays, even funerals. But life's made up of all the in-between times. The days when it seems like nothing much is going on. Days marked by routines…
Windshield wipers swatted away as I drove south on I-95 today. Passing trucks doused my Prius while I gritted my teeth and gripped the wheel, trying to keep from being blown off the road. Yesterday's leg of the journey, all sunshine and sweet thoughts. Today's?…