Monday, July 29, 2019 | Reflections
One of the many summer camp traditions at Shrine Mont is the morning wakeup call. I have witnessed several iterations of this practice: a large bell, brass instruments, (and perhaps most dramatically) a speaker system that blasted whatever music the program director...
Sunday, July 28, 2019 | Reflections
Driving back to college in southern Virginia was a soul-grounding experience for me. As I passed familiar landmarks and whizzed by the trees that grew more abundant with each mile, the first glimpse of the Blue Ridge Mountains would make my wandering heart feel rooted...
Saturday, July 27, 2019 | Reflections
Both my mother and I are communication directors for two different Episcopal parishes. It is a joy to share this experience and to support one another. In my own wrestling with the challenges of this work, I gain renewed appreciation for my mother and just how good...
Friday, July 26, 2019 | Reflections
Cheryl Strayed’s book, Wild tells the story of her journey along the Pacific Crest Trail. Strayed searches for truth and meaning, for something to put her faith in: “I’d finally come to understand what it had been: a yearning for a way out, when actually what I had...
Thursday, July 25, 2019 | Reflections
One of my favorite moments in the musical “Hamilton” is when George Washington tells Alexander Hamilton that he will step down from the presidency: “We’re gonna teach them how to say goodbye.” Washington wants the nation to outlive him; he knows that can’t happen if...
Wednesday, July 24, 2019 | Reflections
My dad taught me how to fish when I was eight years old, with a kiddie rod and reel that made a satisfying clicking sound every time you pushed the release button. Fishing was one of our earliest bonding experiences. We did a lot of our fishing on vacation in Maine....
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 | Reflections
I remember learning Matthew’s version of the mustard seed parable as a middle school camper. The meaning felt accessible amidst a lot of other stories that were hard to understand at a young age. Middle school children grow in such weird ways, and here was this story...
Monday, July 22, 2019 | Reflections
For me, Mary Magdalene represents closeness to Jesus. She reminds me of Jesus’ fragility, his tenderness, his human need to be cared for even in death. Mary is my window into Jesus’ humanity, which I always seek to understand and feel connected to. I can only imagine...
Sunday, July 21, 2019 | Reflections
I grew up with a champion hostess. My mother will make an elaborate dinner and dessert entirely from scratch, sometimes even crafting a special table setting. She truly enjoys doing it, and we enjoy admiring and partaking in the fruits of her labor. But we often tease...
Saturday, July 20, 2019 | Reflections
The soul’s longing for God can be like missing lunch. You might not know how much you need that communion with God until you are brought low by some deep hunger that is so visceral, it is impossible to avoid. Some days I lose track of time, and suddenly it’s 3 p.m....
