children
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The Family and Passing on Tradition
A group in my parish is currently working and praying through the Community of Hope International program, and this week we looked at family systems. Technically, family systems is a lens by which a person looks at the assumptions, practices,… Continue reading
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The Psalms, anxiety, and spiritual enemies
I’ve never been that good with keeping to Morning Prayer every morning, but I’d like to be. Getting my children ready for school most mornings, however, doesn’t usually lead to a stable schedule of daily prayer. And so, like most… Continue reading
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Giving voice to every creature under heaven
Children live in an enchanted world. I don’t mean this in a sentimental way, though. I don’t mean that children live as if magic were real and that everything shimmers and shines with unicorns and fairies. Children can be realists,… Continue reading
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Sitting in silence with my daughters
Most of my backyard is a steep hill. Outside the back door, there is a short, flat space of maybe twenty or thirty feet, then the land climbs suddenly at a sharp angle. The hillside is covered in trees with… Continue reading
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Creating a literary journal
I’m going to use this week’s post to advertise a project I’ve been working on. Part of me wants to apologize, but I think this project is really cool and I really want to share it with as many people… Continue reading
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Holding as prayer
Just before my first daughter was born, a friend gave me a small book called “Holding your baby.” It was a book of prayer and devotions to be read by a parent in the first days of their lives. It… Continue reading
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The tooth fairy and a longing for Heaven
The other day, in our evening prayer time, our youngest daughter prayed that the Tooth Fairy is real. She has her first “wiggle tooth”, and she has that beautiful combination of anxiety and joy at something new that children have about… Continue reading
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The Death and Rebirth of Writing
Conversion is never one hundred percent. We always bring something with us when we make a change (or changes are made) to our lives. To put it into even more Christian language, the death and resurrection that we experience in… Continue reading
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Chanting the Psalms with my kids
This year, I’ve taken on the discipline of bringing the Psalms more fully into my personal prayer life. Specifically, I’m making it a point to chant one psalm each day. I do this because, first, the Psalms are so very… Continue reading
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Bilbo Baggins and Baby Jesus
Recently, my kindergartener had an assignment on traditions. She was supposed to choose a family tradition and create a project around it. When we asked her what tradition she wanted to choose, there was a moment when I seriously worried… Continue reading
Incense and Crayons 