As Thanksgiving approaches each November, with the accompanying food magazine frenzy over “the best stuffing recipe ever” and miraculous “to-die-for-but-low-fat” mashed potatoes, I ask myself: Is it really necessary to do something “new” with dinner this year? Honestly, I’d still be ecstatic to finally master lump-free gravy…and make enough! Oh, and don’t forget to thaw … Continue reading Support the Bottom
With 100,000 or so residents, Koloszvar is one of the largest cities in Transylvania, where a large population of ethnic-Hungarian Unitarians resides. A ministerial colleague of mine visited there many years ago for their General Assembly, with nearly 5,000 Transylvanian Unitarians in attendance! (Can you imagine?) My blue and white embroidered stole is a gift … Continue reading Signs and Windows of Welcome
It seems pep talks are everywhere these days. And who doesn’t welcome a pep talk, especially as September dawns and we still feel like this is the beginning of a “new year.” Old habits die hard – why aren’t I getting a new lunch box, sharpened pencils, and school shoes? Hope I like my teacher. … Continue reading Pep Talk Here, Pep Talk There
Have you ever watched a toddler or preschooler with art supplies? It can be adorable or spellbinding or a bit treacherous, depending on the situation. I’ve recently had the wonderful opportunity to spend time with all three of my granddaughters, aged 18 months to 4 years, and I’m struck by how early in our lives … Continue reading If You Take a Purple Crayon…
On Sunday, June 30, upon return from a week in Northern New Mexico, I preached a sermon entitled “Georgia O’Keeffe and the Spirit of Ghost Ranch.” In it, I lifted up some less conventional portals for understanding the “Mother of American Modernism,” whose images of flowers and cow skulls and red rock landscapes are so … Continue reading In Conversation with the Spirit of Georgia O’Keeffe
In the summer of 2011, while I was cleaning out closets in preparation for my move to Pittsburgh, I unearthed a one-gallon plastic jug of clear liquid from under a bag of scrap fabric. At first I thought it was spring water, but upon closer inspection, I discovered it was something quite quirky, long forgotten … Continue reading “Schweitzer Fluid”
When I turned 50 (some years ago!), my galpals thought it would be a stitch to amuse me with a small dinner party and a bunch of “now that you are so old (decrepit?)” gifts. You know, things like lip-line reducing balm, special circulation-friendly compression stockings, and an AARP letter magnifier. Someone offered to cut … Continue reading Not Feeling Bad About My Neck
Just this past week, I was surfing around for sermon fodder for my sermon on UU evangelism on the topic of “why people go to church and why they stay away,” when I stumbled on an article entitled, “People Flock To The Church of the Confused Chicken.” (Extra points for the “flock” pun!) When I … Continue reading What the Cluck?
Usually when we think of “surrender” we think “defeat.” Yet, there’s a way to look at surrender that is more positive – the Buddhist concept of surrender as “letting go.” Recently, I read an entry in a blog I like called Daily Om about a tool called a Surrender Box. The author tells us: “A … Continue reading “I Surrender”
If a month itself could be a “trigger,” it would be January, 2024. Honestly, we could throw December (or at least, some aspects of it) in for good measure. We’ve been justifiably triggered by an ice storm, a collapsed sewer line, porta-potties, and wrangles with insurance companies. Yet, through it all, we Eastrosarians have endured and … Continue reading Glimmers
