I laid crying, screaming in pain surrounded by people, some who knew me, some who didn’t, but all were concerned. My leg extended out behind me and my ankle and foot were contorted in unnatural and disturbing ways. Before the pain caught up to my brain, I knew something had happened, and my first thoughtContinue reading “The Difficult Isn’t Forever”
Blessings and Curses
The blank screen comes to life and suddenly you’re faced with the round face of a kid dressed in a suit and tie; the dark suit and red tie stand out against the green chalkboard background. “I think we all need a pep talk,” the child says confidently and without a hint of question inContinue reading “Blessings and Curses”
Baptized into Change
Having grown up in a Christian tradition that did not have written prayers, when I joined the Episcopal Church, I immediately felt connected to the beauty of our prayer book and the prayers held therein. It didn’t take long for me to be drawn to our petition “that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful; andContinue reading “Baptized into Change”
A Common Meal
We were all gathered in Salt Lake City, Utah for the Parliament of World Religions, and I was representing the small, but thriving Abilene Interfaith Council from Texas. The ten or so of us sat in a circle this hotel conference room, as we prepared to learn about meditation and the affect it can haveContinue reading “A Common Meal”
Filled with All Fullness
In early childhood education, there is a song for everything. Need some motivation for clean-up? There’s a song for that. Need something to help ease the transition from one activity to the next? There’s a song for that. Need something to remind you that you are loved? There’s a song for that, too. Having spentContinue reading “Filled with All Fullness”
Rest and Hope
In the 1983 children’s book, Round Trip, the author, Ann Jonas casts a fairly simple story. It’s a story of a family taking a road trip to the city. The pages are simple – black and white illustrations with one line sentences in the top corner. By the time you reach the end of theContinue reading “Rest and Hope”
A Foolish Life of Weakness
Noted author and researcher Brené Brown has a lot to say about vulnerability, weakness, and strength. In her now famous TED talk from 2014, she lays out what she had discovered in her research around shame and guilt, and more importantly the power of vulnerability. The first time I watched this video, it hit meContinue reading “A Foolish Life of Weakness”
Planting and Praying
As the wind blew through the leaves on the giant oak tree above my head, I strained to see the sky through the blanket of bright green and flittering sunlight. As a kid, I would lay under this giant oak tree that took up its residence at the back of my parent’s land; soaring aboutContinue reading “Planting and Praying”
A year ago today.
The crepe myrtles are just on the cusp of blooming here in Kentucky. I grew to love crepe myrtles when I lived in Texas because they grew with abandon in the oppressive heat of West Texas; the wild beauty of the dark pink or the bright white always stood in contrast to the cloudless blueContinue reading “A year ago today.”
Remember and Keep
“Tell me you remember you are still a human being, not just a human doing. Tell me you’re more than just a machine, checking off items from your to-do list.” This is one of the ways in which the director of Duke University’s Islamic Studies Center, Omid Safi, writes about what he calls “The DiseaseContinue reading “Remember and Keep”
Becca Kello 