By Tuli Patel“It is in collectivities that we find reservoirs of hope and optimism.” —Angela Y. DavisSince Christmas, our washing machine has been burping, spitting, and generally coughing. We are often witness to puddles on the floor of the laundry space. All four of us—ranging in age from early f
By Nathan Ryan“Maybe the purpose of being here, wherever we are, is to increase the durability and occasion of love among and between peoples.” —June JordanI don’t have any particular affinity for school buses. I don’t hate them; I just don’t feel any way about them.My toddler, on the other hand, L
By Erika A. Hewitt“Unfortunately the place was practically empty due to Coronavirus fears. I had the swordfish special with lime cilantro butter. I couldn’t taste either the lime or the cilantro. I give it a B+.” —a review written by “LewisF" for Manhattan’s Grand Central Oyster Bar on March 12, 20
By Rachel Lonberg“Be joyful though you have considered all the facts... Practice resurrection.” —Wendell Berry, in “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front”In the church that raised me, there was a woman named Gussie. Gussie was eighty-one years older than me. I considered her a special friend.
By Shari Woodbury“… simply by recognizing what’s happening we can nip aggression or craving in the bud—our own and that of others. As we become more familiar with doing this, our wisdom becomes a stronger force than [the impulse to react]… Our training is to acknowledge when we’re hooked...” —Pema
By Jessica Clay“Hope is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart." —Václav Havel, paraphrasedEvery year the dark-eyed Junco returns to my bird feeder when the ground gets cold and the wind has made the trees bare. The dark-eyed junco visits Cape Cod in winter, and flies north to co
By Anthony Cruz“Who, me confused? Ambivalent? Not so. Only your labels split me.” —Gloria Anzaldúa, in "La Prieta"This past summer, I was the only “out” Queer and Afro-Boricua chaplain intern at a hospital. Our frenzied daily routine included taking a wellness survey and donning face shields. Like
By Paula Gribble“I’m beautifully broken, perfectly imperfect, beautiful in my flaws. All together, I am a beautiful disaster.” —Author unknownI am broken. We are all broken. Now, stay with me: in meteorology, the term broken refers to the sky “being more than half, but not totally, covered by cloud
By Lora Brandis "All living substance, all substance of energy, being, and purpose, are united and share the same destiny." —Rev. David Eaton, "A Common Destiny" (YouTube)Last year on Ash Wednesday, I wondered how to best mark the beginning of Lent. Seeking a way to honor both the Christian traditi
By Jabari S. Jones“The long memory is the most radical idea in the country. It is the loss of that long memory which deprives our people of that connective flow of thoughts and events that clarifies our vision, not of where we’re going but where we want to go.” —Utah PhillipsFor Christmas, I bought
