Ruth had a saying: A person all wrapped up in oneself makes a very small ball.Ruth would know about such things. She was weaver for the sheer pleasure of it. Once when I was a seminarian intern, preparing to become a pastor, she invited me to her home for conversation and lunch. She proudly showed me her loom of smooth polished wood sitting in the corner of a room filled … [Read more...] about Weavings
Archives for January 2010
But, God…!
Earlier in the week, I went to our Wednesday morning text study where a few folks gather with an assignment to preach on a Sunday and coffee in hand. We prayed Sunday's opening prayer which asks God to make us love what God commands. And then, while listening to the first reading, we heard Jeremiah’s excuses for why he couldn’t take on God’s assignment. (Jeremiah 1:4-10)“I … [Read more...] about But, God…!
Farm Show Week
My husband and I went to the Pennsylvania Farm Show yesterday. Saw horses put through their paces. Alpacas and their wool being spun. Cows being milked. Large tractors next to displays about bio-fuel being developed at colleges. Amazing varieties of ducks, turkeys and chickens; sadly, one hen had just had a coronary. Sheep wearing covers like ghost costumes, their eyes … [Read more...] about Farm Show Week
The gift exchange
Epiphany was 3 days ago. A few of us gathered in a circle and listened to the story of the magi from the east searching for the Christ. The table in the middle of our circle was draped with sparkling blue cloth on which stood three carved, intricately painted wise men surrounded with little tea lights. At the center of it all was a small icon a friend had given me: Mary … [Read more...] about The gift exchange
Gratitude for 2009
I am grateful to Mary Oliver who asks and answers most poetically 8 questions (in "Gratitude" from the book "What Do We Know: Poems and Prose Poems"). They strike me as good questions to ponder on the eve of a new year. I'll ask her questions of myself and answer them much less poetically.What did you notice? The preciousness of hope. That dying and new birth are sometimes … [Read more...] about Gratitude for 2009