listening – Julianne Vantland

Thanksgiving, a practice of gratitude and grief

We are watching the parade this morning, snuggled up all cozy on our couch while the cinnamon rolls rise in the oven. The announcer wears big fuzzy ear muffs, sitting at a desk covered in flowers. She flashes a brilliantly white smile and says “Friends, family, love. That’s what thanksgiving is all about. A timeContinue reading “Thanksgiving, a practice of gratitude and grief”

let them lead us

We waited nearly an hour fidgeting with phones rehearsing answers wearily at attention to the future While we inched forward the children wasted no time organizing themselves learning names and giggling games I wondered what they thought of us (probably nothing) civically queuing to solve the BIG PROBLEMS with one silent push of a buttonContinue reading “let them lead us”

curiosity in the face of fear

I grew up in an conservative christian community, proudly intolerant of all outsiders. From a young age I learned to look at these “others” with a mix of fear and pity – fear that their “lifestyles” would infect mine if given the slightest chance, pity that they were so committed to their hell-bound “worldly” ways.Continue reading “curiosity in the face of fear”