Dear President Trump, It used to be that our church had two services, the first at 9 and the second at 11, with choir practice in between at 10. I thought that arrangement was pretty great; on mornings when I felt antsy and wanted to get on with the day, I could go at 9 … Continue reading May we get over ourselves
Positives
The wonder of feeling small
Dear President Trump, I hope Melania The Missing (from public view) has had a nice Mother’s Day. Have we? Why yes, thank you for (not) asking, we have. There’s been lots of well-wishing going back and forth among friends and family, including an especially nice “I miss you both lots!” note from our daughter this … Continue reading The wonder of feeling small
What’s real and needs attention
Dear President Trump, I’m well past the years when hormones regularly amped up my emotional tenderness. And before pressing on, no, such cycling is not a sign of female weakness or irrationality. Rather, it’s a built-in course-corrector or truth serum that puts us back in touch with what’s real and needs attention. I would go … Continue reading What’s real and needs attention
Speck-hood
Dear President Trump, I’m torn between elaborating on what seems to me to be the word of the day, which is “sordid,” and wrestling with the reality of being a speck. I think I’ll just list three of the sordid bits that are floating on top of the oil slick this morning and then move … Continue reading Speck-hood
Finding sanctuary in birds
Dear President Trump, I’ve got to take a break today from you, Barr, Graham (hmm, where’s McConnell been lately?), and the Fox crew. You all are toxic and I’ve had it with you, so I’m going to write to you about birds. Bird vignette 1. On my walk into work two mornings ago I spotted … Continue reading Finding sanctuary in birds
Cranky Buddha Baby
Dear President Trump, You’ll likely not be surprised to learn that Laura and I have a treasured little collection of Buddhas. Some look serious and solemn, some are serene and content. One looks for all the world like he’s dancing and another one glows in the dark. Until yesterday I wouldn’t have been able to … Continue reading Cranky Buddha Baby
So many phoenixes rising (out of the ashes of the patriarchy)
Dear President Trump, This morning I have three true stories for you, all of which I heard on the same day last week. The first involves a woman who re-entered the work force a few years ago and whose talents have quickly become apparent. Recently her boss asked her to take over a poor-performing department … Continue reading So many phoenixes rising (out of the ashes of the patriarchy)
Fine-tuning apologies ~ a growth edge
Dear President Trump, Back in March I told you that for Lent I would work on curbing my reflexive apologizing and improving my follow through on harder, sincerely necessary apologies. I’ve not said anything about this in my letters to you since then, but I’ve thought about it every day because inevitably I do things … Continue reading Fine-tuning apologies ~ a growth edge
Racist legacies
Dear President Trump, The other day Laura told her brother and me how awhile back she tried to find out if anyone in their family had owned slaves (their family is from Tennessee). She described how even though she didn’t find any evidence that their family owned slaves there are too many holes in the … Continue reading Racist legacies
And yet and still
Dear President Trump, The title of the Easter sermon this morning was “In Praise of What Isn’t.” Our pastor’s theme was how crucial it is that we not get stuck on what is and lose sight of what can be. She wasn’t saying that we should ignore what is or pretend that the bad things … Continue reading And yet and still
