Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with … Continue reading A Life Overseas – Grief and Gethsemane
Yesterday I unexpectedly found myself by a lone bench on an empty ocean front. A boat was just off the shore, solitary but securely anchored in the sea. I ached with the unexpected beauty, the symbolic solitude of the boat. I felt like this boat. Alone, but securely anchored. As I stood there, a scarf … Continue reading Death, Loss, and TCK Grief
A week ago my mom called with some sad news. Stefanous had died. I was so shocked. He was only 5 years older than I am. His youngest daughter was only just married two weeks ago. A flash flood of memories instantly floored me and I began to cry. For those of us who grew … Continue reading When No One Shares Your Grief
Three hours south of Cairo, in a small town rarely heard of until this past Sunday, families grieve. Thirteen of the men murdered by ISIS are from this town. Yousef Shoukry, aged 24 is one of those men. Like most of these men, Yousef needed a job and could not find one in Egypt, so … Continue reading A Mother’s Grief; A Father’s Pain
Grief—the Pesky Cat By Robynn It struck me this week that grief is like a pesky kitten, you never know when it will spring up on you and pounce. Several times this past week we’ve been bitten on the ankles. Several years ago when our cat, Canyon, was a kitten, he’d lay in wait for … Continue reading Grief the Pesky Cat
“Make sure you say goodbye” I text these words to my youngest son, followed by “It’s important to say your goodbyes.” He is only leaving for the summer, he will be back on the same campus next year. But it is critical to me to say this to him. I want my children to be able … Continue reading Honor the Grief, Honor the Goodbye
Grief Quotes by Robynn – Grief quotes: Even when grieving someone has to do the laundry… Hard to get it dry when the tears keep coming. Grief quotes: I’m a pretty smart person. .. how come i can’t figure out death? My father in law died suddenly in a freak farm accident early Saturday evening. He was out … Continue reading Grief Quotes During Holy Week
On the Friday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday, a man was killed in a car accident in a tunnel in Boston. Reading the newspaper report caused pain of the sort that anonymous news sometimes brings. The “Why, Lord?” that stays only until I am distracted by the next sad news item. Finding out that the man … Continue reading Advent Reflection – Grief and Hope
In a book titled Tomorrow, God Willing, a Norwegian anthropologist writes from her experiences befriending a family in a poor neighborhood in Cairo. The book gives a portrayal of life in Cairo, primarily through the perspective of Umm Ali (Mother of Ali) with others from the extended family lending their voices to the narrative. It is one of … Continue reading Talking Together Makes Wise
You know those signs that appear on pretty suburban lawns? The ones that say “It’s all going to be okay!” or “Everything will be okay!” in cheery colors? Well guess what!? We aren’t all okay. We are far from okay. I learned today that gun sales in Massachusetts, the hardest state in the nation to … Continue reading We Aren’t All Okay
The train rounds a bend.The rest of the cars appear one by one,all tied to one anotherfar into the distanceIt comes as a surpriseto be tied to things so far backNazım Hikmet,Human Landscapes from My Country Recently I was thinking about an event in my childhood. It took place at the time of the Indo-Pak … Continue reading Siblings and the Third Culture Kid Journey
I woke up to a cold house. Shivering despite being in a warm robe, I knew something was wrong. The temperature gauge showed a cold 58 and lowering. No heat came from the vents. The furnace was clearly not functioning. “Could one more thing go wrong?” I thought. Which, of course, is a foolish thought. … Continue reading The Rhythm of Grace
“I think it was in Syria that we saw some interesting little bottles in a museum. We asked the guide about them and were told that they were bottles to collect tears from those who mourned.“ Bettie Addleton I wake to bright sunshine, a stark contrast to a couple of days ago when it rained … Continue reading Tears in a Bottle
There is nothing ambiguous about Lent in the Orthodox tradition. No one contemplates what to give up, or how to spend more time in prayer and repentance. Everyone pretty much knows that you’re going vegan for the next seven plus weeks. Orthodox countries pull out their “Fasting” menus and we, sometimes reluctantly, get rid of … Continue reading Muted Colors – Lenten Journey
“Wonderful! No such thing as mundane!” The caption is typed over a picture of a book titled Glory Happening: Finding the Divine in Every Day Places. Of the many things that have struck me these past days, I keep on coming back to this caption – for it captures my brother and his view of … Continue reading “No Such Thing as Mundane”
The other night I woke up to fierce wind and rain. On the right side of the house an alley way created a wind tunnel and I could hear the wind howling through it. This house is still new to us and the sounds are unfamiliar. I lay listening for while, thinking of the fierce … Continue reading Decision Making and Transition
Around eleven o’clock every morning, Barzan would look through the door of my office and say “Come! Let’s have cappuccino!” I would look up at him and respond enthusiastically “Yes!” Five minutes later I would find myself seated at a chair by his desk, stirring a cup of instant cappuccino made in Turkey and readily … Continue reading Cappuccino with Barzan: Friendship and Betrayal in Kurdistan
I’m sitting in the window seat of our little red house in Charlestown. I love that I have already discovered this sweet space for writing, thinking, staring off into space, and yes – even crying. My view to one side is of fall mums, birds of all kinds, and fat squirrels that shamelessly steal the … Continue reading A Slice of Life from Charlestown – Volume 1: A Map of New Beginnings
