It was the second week of March 2020, when our local government issued an order for lockdown amidst ominous news being reported from China, and serious statements issued by the World Health Organization. Both Canadian and international networks broadcast daunting images of Italian cities that looked like ghost towns, alongside interviews with exhausted doctors and…
I can still picture the moment in March when I realized life, as I knew it, was going to be completely interrupted. Working nearly full time as a substitute teacher had become part of my daily rhythm. It was also my current calling, where I found fulfillment. In addition, my daily rhythm operated harmoniously with…
If the pandemic were an experiment, mad scientists would designate my family as part of the “control” group. After all, my husband and I have both worked from home for years, and I’ve homeschooled our four children for almost a decade. We haven’t had to navigate the huge work-week disruptions. Rather, the social media posts…
In April 2020, I wandered our local Walmart pushing a cart of odds and ends. I always feel a little separate from myself when I’m shopping, but this time, with the “lock down” extended another three weeks, my fellow shoppers mirrored my wide-eyed uncertainty. Toilet paper, flour, dry beans, hand sanitizer…what else? What else? Finding…
God can and does use all things, even deadly pandemics like COVID-19, to bring about good things; beautiful things that give us renewed hope. Romans 8:28 states this truth clearly: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose…
This is what the Lord says: They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son. Jeremiah 31:7, 9 (New International Version) It’s been…
A man lies face down on the sidewalk weeping in our neighborhood the Catholic Church placed a candlelit shrine at street level. The church is closed for public safety But people need to pray “to earnestly implore” the dictionary says. Only those facing darkness can dig deep enough to do this —humiliation, submission, strength— to…
It is better to be kind than to be right. In a world where you can be anything, be kind. Practice random acts of kindness. There is no shortage of the admonition to be kind in today’s culture. There are T-shirts, Instagram feeds, and even whole movements dedicated to spreading kindness. Yet, in apparent…
A few years ago I had one goal for the upcoming year in Djibouti and it was, at first glance, a simple goal. I aimed to not be mean. Put positively, I aimed to be nice. Kind. Sweet. Like I said, not mean. At that point, I had lived for nine years in the Horn…
As kindness is a fruit of the Spirit, how can Christians better demonstrate this in our daily lives? Do No Harm, But Take No Crap… Viewed through the lens of one made in the Image of God (Imago Dei), that is a Christian value. Christian practice historically accepts offense without complaint as a demonstration of…
My tween eyes followed its four-foot journey towards the cashier with more suspicion than curiosity. “Who’s THAT for?” I interrogated. She plucked the mitten-hat combo off the rack and sent it down the conveyor belt with the Beef-a-Roni and cantaloupe. This fuzzy ensemble wasn’t me, and I prepared to wield my fashion veto power. “Not…
“The Lord Almighty grant us a peaceful night and a perfect end. Amen.” I begin again through the Compline liturgy, trying to integrate this ancient practice into my bedtime routine. Praying through these lines each night is new to me, a nod toward the start of a new year and a hope to ward off…
I looked around the room at the 12 brave young people who had shown up for a field trip to the local community college. Occasionally in my work as a high-school substitute teacher, I am assigned the special education “Transitional Academy” for students who are no longer in high school but have been mandated an…
When I was born, my Auntie Lin gave me a wall hanging inscribed with my name, its meaning, and a verse plucked from Proverbs 31: “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness” (31:26 KJV). It was the first verse I learned by heart, the calligraphy staring out…