This month you told me, “Hold on lightly to possessions; all you have is mine.” Then you brought forward chances to let go: my sweater to the shivering boy, my shirt to the cadavre (swollen past the size of her own clothes), my mat to the child who had no bed, my socks to helpContinue reading “All I Have is Yours”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Turn the Other Cheek?
“Turn the other cheek,” I heard you say. So, not striking them in return, I did, Quietly hoping the slaps would end. But I’ve been slapped again twice, instead. The red on my cheeks does fade away. The hurt that remains is deep inside; my heart feels bruised, misunderstood. Is this all I should do?Continue reading “Turn the Other Cheek?”
Truth Takes Courage
Truth takes courage when you Realize that speaking it will Undo the pretty picture you are Trying to paint of yourself, Hoping not to take the blame. Deception is a trap but seems Easier, the best way to Cover up that mistake that Everyone makes, of course. So Promise that it was not you ThatContinue reading “Truth Takes Courage”
Slippery Sand
The traps are there silent smooth slippery sand lurking in my stomping grounds waiting for that moment when (tired, stressed, stumbling) I forget to watch so I slide down that slope into disaster I let life take over busy pushing hard to meet my goals eyes distracted by the rocks obstacles I could climb overContinue reading “Slippery Sand”
Like the Air that I Breathe
So much sharpness in the world today: bare tree branches that pierce the sky like forked lightning, zebu horns poking the air like staples, headless palms erect as straight pins. Hawk wings slice the atmosphere, machetes crack through vines, bike spokes whirr. Even the blades of grass have a cutting edge. If air were solidContinue reading “Like the Air that I Breathe”
He Split the Confines of Their Box
His kindness overwhelmed them from the start: the way he chose his students, hearts that yearned for meaning beyond fishing nets or taxes; welcoming the seventy, both genders, to his company— the way he broke the rules that kept the stranger snubbed and minimized, and crushed the prejudice that said a woman should not learn,Continue reading “He Split the Confines of Their Box”
Blaze!
Across the bristling grasses and the breezy palm tree dance lies a long lagoon, all liquid, mirror for the sky’s expanse. Underneath a white-hot sun it becomes a brilliant blast and my eyelids squint to slivers letting just a glimmer past: just the essence of the power, just the outline of the heat, just impressionsContinue reading “Blaze!”
A New Normal
It’s not easy to stand out as different when I’m seen as being odd, distasteful to those who find me irritating— rubbing them the wrong way because I don’t fit their parameters of “normal.” Not easy for me, not easy for them. I’m being reshaped, remade from the inside out, and my shape no longerContinue reading “A New Normal”
Under Attack!
The timing, the coincidence, enraged them! How could those Jesus-people go ahead and wreck the crucial hours with song? How could it wreak such havoc when they repeat that dread Name, over and over in prayer and testimonies, dancing in the dust with “Alleluias”? Their rites were rendered useless, impotent, there in the Sacred ForestContinue reading “Under Attack!”
The Peacemaker Challenge
When you’re insulted respond with compassion, listening first, speaking with insight into the roots of that person’s distress. Not that it’s easy. Not that it’s normal. Take self off-center, then humbly reach out to crush the hard walls that maintain division. Be like your Savior, the great Prince of Peace: who purchased our peace byContinue reading “The Peacemaker Challenge”
Linnea's Lines 