But people do. I was leading a yoga retreat in the beautiful Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania in October with 8 wonderful ladies, and on a hunch, I decided to add in an apophatic meditation I’d listened to on Spotify with The Liturgists on a few occastions. (You can listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i5cicks7Rc ) I didn’t recall it exactly and created my own as I went along. The intention is to begin with a statement then to contradict the statement followed by a... Read more
I am a person who lives in intersections. My life is spent standing in the place where class, race, gender, sexuality, ability, and mental health all form a crossroads. Someone should really put a round-a-bout here, but that is a different blog post. I’m seminary educated, but I’m a lay person. I am from a small rural community, but I am Black and I have a master’s degree. I’m at an age where some of my friends are still college... Read more
I hope you kneel in broad daylight under the noonday sun on the moist Mother earth, feeling the wetness seep through your pants so the skin on your knees, indenting the ground with the weight of you, feels her soddenness. I hope you imagine kneeling teary before the Christ child, gazing at Emmanuel, softly cooing in his wooden cradle, all wide-eyed and guiltless; he takes the whole of you into his arriving presence. I hope you kneel under the lesser... Read more
Maybe don’t read this if you are sensitive to discussions of abuse, sexual assault, or self-harm. I have a bad relationship with my body. I guess I should say that I have a bad relationship with myself. This is often hard for me to deal with, but I have to remember that as a Christian who stands by the ancient creeds of the Church I believe that my body and my soul are one. “I believe in the resurrection of... Read more
The events in Charlottesville are overwhelming, infuriating, depressing, sad, and scary. Processing everything going on will take time, patience, and community. And that last part, community, is where we can find comfort, help, and motion forward. (Here is a resource that can help us process these events and create community.) We need time to lament, to reflect, to call out injustice, to scream, to listen to music, and to tremble. But the question I have gotten the most these last... Read more
A woman died yesterday. Her name is Heather. I did not know her, but I know her mother. Heather’s mother is exactly the kind of person who would raise a daughter that would be willing to give her life to defend the sacredness and rights of another. I don’t know what to say any more. I feel like there is nothing left to be said. Black lives matter. That should not be up for debate. White Supremacy is wrong and... Read more
Trigger Warning: Discussion of rape and sexual violence. Sally Hemings was not a mistress. She was a young, enslaved girl who was raped by the man that owned her. Hagar was not a second wife. She was also a young, enslaved girl who was raped by the man that owned her. Rape is any non-consensual sex. Consent can only be given by adults who are fully in their right mind, not under any sort of duress, and who have the... Read more
As a Black woman in the United States, I have spent too much of my life trying to avoid people like Richard Spencer. Recently, however, I watched an interview with him and I want you all to see it. Let me tell you why. I grew up in a small Virginia town that lacked diversity. My life has been spent with mostly White people, so much so that I am often made fun or rejected from Black social circles, but... Read more
Mamie, did you know that your baby boy would one day be pulled from the water? Mamie, did you know that your baby boy would not be allowed to have his own sons or daughters? Did you know that your baby boy would someday make the news? This child that you’ve delivered, would face so much abuse? Mamie, did you know that your baby boy, would one day make you famous? Mamie, did you know that his death, it would... Read more
Easter is great, no question, but today, the day before, is a day to hold our grief. Maybe the day before, the best thing we can say to each other is, “I’m sorry.” I’m sorry that the kindest, gentlest teacher who didn’t take any nonsense, either, is dead. There had been this moment, when maybe everything was going to be all right. There was a moment when Pilate said, “It’s clear that he’s done nothing wrong, let alone anything deserving... Read more
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