reframing femininity
I will never forget the based-on-a-true-story movie, The Impossible, about a family who, while vacationing in a paradise resort in Thailand, was hit by the 2004 tsunami. The scene that grips me most is when Naomi Watts is reading on a lounge chair and suddenly sensing something is not right. That something terribly powerful is…
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The massive gray whale lingered In a moment of suspended animation as She is ascending from the ocean floor up To exchange a drag of air The vast navy blue depths hold her Weightlessly Effortlessly
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“Courage is being scared as hell and saddling up anyway.” – John Wayne I’m learning to be courageous–to get back up and ride on even though I am scared. In this season I am thankful that fear is not the primary emotion, although it is definitely present in waves. God has been giving me the…
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Sadness swims inside of me. Doing the backstroke across my heart. Flipping and repeating, gracefully kicking backwards as it observes where it has been.
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When the world shut down and we all came home, I turned my red desk to face the window. It felt too vulnerable and a tad inappropriate to have so many eyes on my bed behind me. The door seemed an acceptable view for strangers on screens and so, the construction zone across the street…
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During the month of May the women of Red Tent Living will be considering the theme “off center” (shifts, unexpected, gravity, you can fly). Please join us by reading daily or by hosting a Red Tent Dinner in your home or virtually, based on following the social distancing guidelines for your location.
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“Aren’t you afraid they’ll expose you to the virus?” “Are you crazy?” The phone calls from friends and family were kind and filled with concern for our wellbeing. My answers at the time? “Sometimes,” and “No.” Riding in the waves of news of the pandemic, I felt assured in my decision to offer two young…
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I took four tests. Four. I couldn’t believe it. Yet, two weeks later I saw a tiny heartbeat, keeping rhythm with the blood already flowing through his or her teeny tiny blueberry-sized body. The sonographer printed out three pictures for me to take home. I tucked them away in my purse and pulled them back…
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My sister-in-law works in the public health system in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. She pulls babies from mothers, and puts them into their hands. OBGYN. Surgeon. Doctor. A woman of purpose, knew from the beginning, you were meant for this. Meant for this. A question of destiny? I don’t know if you believe in that, or…
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Last night, a writing prompt was given to a lovely group of sisters with whom I was virtually gathering. For a moment or so, we were to write about fear. I didn’t know what I was afraid of, but I was soon to find out. As a single woman, living alone, I live a life…
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