“With all it’s sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.” Max Ehrman
Cheers to the women who haveloved me fiercely.The ones who called forth the me in me.Who weathered my storms andfaced my fears andcarried a snack just for me,sometimes sweet, sometimes salty butalways the word or gesture orbag of chips I needed. Cheers to the women who mothered meinto the mother I’ve become.To my mom, cheers. … Continue reading Cheers to the women
Mary Magdalene thought the resurrected Jesus was the gardener. The Gardener, whose job is to raise up new growth from a lifeless seed. The Gardener, whose job is to call forth new life out of the darkness of dirt. Perhaps Mary wasn’t wrong. Perhaps she was seeing Jesus’ true identity. The Gardener of the original … Continue reading She Thought Jesus Was the Gardener
Jesus walked willingly to the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of his arrest. The courage in that act alone - it’s hard to fathom. God and humans don’t have a good history in gardens, after all. The last time God shared a garden with humanity, it didn’t end well. The humans betrayed God, eating … Continue reading Gethsemane
Let’s de-Hallmark-ify the Christmas story, shall we? Instead of a warm and cozy barn - try picturing a dark, grimy cave, full of loud, smelly animals who aren’t fond of sharing their home. Instead of a serene, beaming Mary - let’s imagine an exhausted teenager who just survived the risky business of labor, far from … Continue reading Let’s de-Hallmark-ify the Christmas story, shall we?
I slip a napkin note into my kids’ lunchboxes every day. Sometimes the note is as simple as a smiley face, other times I write silly jokes, but most of the time I write some version of: “I love you just the way you are.” When that time of day rolls around for my girls … Continue reading Lunchbox Notes…from God
Are we enslaved to Time? Must we march to its relentless rhythm, powerless as prisoners shuffling on and on under the watchful eye of such a dispassionate guard? This week I ticked off milestones, one after another. My six and eight-year-old daughters returned to school, growing up ever so slightly with every passing day. We … Continue reading (Never) Enough Time
To create is to connect with the Divine. It never fails to amaze me when I consider the endless variety of creation. The infinite shades of blue that make up the earth’s waters. The intricate, minuscule details that adorn a tiny insect’s body. The spectrum of emotions we humans feel and the bodily responses that … Continue reading To Create is Divine
It’s one of the first languages we learn. The language of climbing and chasing, swinging and sliding. Of cartwheeling past fireflies, somersaulting to joy, embracing the slow fade to twilight, the end of the day. Play is how children learn to live in this world and interact with one another. It’s the gateway into science … Continue reading Some Days You Gotta Play
I didn’t tend. I didn’t water, or fertilize, or weatherize. I did prune - once. And yet it blooms. I look at these roses before me, bigger than my hand, and wonder how such beauty can blossom from such human negligence. “I planted the seed,” Paul ruminated, “and Apollos watered, but it is God who … Continue reading Here is your reminder to breathe.
I haven’t been bored since 2005. Yet here I am, swinging in a hammock, waiting for the Covid brain fog to dissipate. Sure, there’s plenty of work to do, but I find I can’t concentrate for long. So, I take breaks. I lay in the sun. I listen to the birds. I count the leaves … Continue reading The Blessedness of Boredom
Rev. Laura Johnson 