Jun 9, 2022 | Reflections
Image: Barbara Ryther Dax A new baby recently joined our extended family. In the eyes of his parents, he is perfect. But in the eyes of the world, he is not. Dax has Down Syndrome. He is adorably cute. Like his mother he has reddish blonde hair and blue eyes. Like...
Jun 9, 2022 | Reflections
N.R. Davison, Child’s Play, ca. 2014, linocut. De Capo Ad NauseumPoem on the Texas Shooting A month ago, I wrote a poem. Sorting out my grief Violence and killings weighing heavy In a world with too little light. I processed unbelief: So many gone so fast. A...
May 14, 2022 | Reflections
My Grandmother’s Table The occasionswere silky and ribbonedlike gifts—platters and peopledraping the dining roomin holiday flourish—the silverof my nostalgia. But the textureof my childhoodemerged from the grainof four simple chairsaround Mama’s kitchen table.It was...
May 3, 2022 | Reflections, Updates
Images: Melanie Kyer Easter….Unfinished. Ukraine has been on my mind all through Lent this year, so I decided to bake a traditional Ukrainian “paska” bread for Easter. As I kneaded the dough and shaped the braids and cross for the top, I prayed for peace. I...
Apr 21, 2022 | Reflections
Image: Barbara Ryther Life, death. Hope, grief. This year the Reflections group struggled with how to deal with Lent, trying to decide whether it was more important to acknowledge and give space to people’s fears and uncertainties over an ongoing pandemic and a new...
Apr 3, 2022 | Reflections
Image: Nina Bisognani Let there be Dragons When I was a child, Lent was a time of discipline.I usually gave up one of my favorite things- chocolate.I thought a lot about not being the perfect Christian. The consequences could be dreadful.I feared I would go to Hell if...