Ashes to Ashes
We gathered to celebrate my grandmother’s life this Ash Wednesday. Marked with the cross smudged on foreheads, we visited, sharing memories, laughing, crying.
Posts
Twelve Books on Grief for Both Children and Adults
One of the most frequent inquiries that I see in clergy groups is variations on “Anyone have a book recommendation for someone grieving?” I’ve compiled a list of 12 books–six for adults and six for children or families–that might serve as a support and a guide for those experiencing loss. Again, I have not read […]
Walking with Grief
In January 2021, I lost one of my champions and people who loved me the most in this world, my Pap, to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a pastor, it was one of the most difficult deaths I have witnessed, not just because it was someone I loved dearly, but because watching someone fighting for breath, […]
Grieving Infertility at the Wailing Wall
In the midst of our darkest days of navigating our way through miscarriage, failed IVF treatments, and trying to decide how we felt about adoption, an opportunity arose for my husband and me to travel to Israel on an interfaith delegation of peace with three other Northern Virginian clergy. One of the first stops on […]
A Sacred Window
Nothing can really prepare you for the death of a friend. It doesn’t matter how many pastoral care classes you took in seminary. It makes no difference how many funeral services you prepare and lead on a regular basis. The books on your shelves and the articles in your files do not mean a thing […]
Etched in Stone
In the first year of serving my first church, I decided to wander through the village cemetery for the first time. I was on a mission to find a famous person’s headstone. After I had found Jane Addams’ burial place (she founded Hull House in Chicago, a settlement house, in 1889), I wandered around the […]
Wanting the Manger to Stay Empty
On December 19, 2012, I woke up early, went to the bathroom and crawled back into my warm bed in my dark bedroom. Then I realized that I was bleeding. This normally wouldn’t be a shock to a woman of my age – menstrual bleeding is to be expected once every 28 days or so. […]
My Real Grandmother
As we head into the holiday season, I always remember my grandmother. She was a Rev. She was a Dr. She had all the credentials. But more importantly, she had a lot of love. In my journey to ordained ministry, from the earliest whispers of a call to my ordination day, I always knew she […]
