Living into the sacred space of God's everyday grace
“What’d you have for dinner?” “Meadles and nootballs,” I answered. Giggling ensued, as well as the beginning of what I later learned to be my tendency toward spoonerisms. Another time, the table was filled with a dozen or so packets of wrapping paper, the result of a school fundraiser when my nieces were young. We… Continue reading On Becoming Fluent in Dogspeak
As we each begin to reconnect with the world and those around us, rather than expect everything and everyone to go back to “normal,” what would it look like if we allowed ourselves to sit in the unknown for a bit instead of trying to immediately pick up where we left off? Please join me… Continue reading The Mourning After Coronavirus
While many are perfecting their breadmaking skills these days, I’ve turned it into a spectator sport with Great British Bake Off (now Baking Show). The accents alone, and the cheeky humor (yes, I now toss about British phrases, complete with a bloody brilliant accent) keep me all in. I had already watched the PBS series… Continue reading Leavening Grief
There are sounds from my childhood I’ve all but forgotten until something triggers a memory. The sharp ding-ding! when driving into a full-service gas station, a metal slinky walking down the stairs, and a Styrofoam cooler squeaking in a car packed full for vacation. As a kid, my mom would dispatch me to the way-back… Continue reading Through the Valley
Back in high school, I remember cringing when I learned the most popular boy was in my driver’s ed group. He was the quintessential jock—star quarterback, best basketball player, and he dated the head cheerleader. The first time he got behind the wheel, I was surprised to see him timid and fearful. After a few… Continue reading Even the Cool Kids are Afraid Sometimes
My mom says she named my brother and me after a 1950s movie starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, called Pat and Mike. While I never liked my name, it didn't take me long to realize how many variations exist. When I was little, my mom would sometimes call me Patty Ann (because I swear… Continue reading Called by Name, Known by Heart
I'm featured in The Redbud Post this month, where the theme is *sigh* divorce, about which I've written very little. My first pastor, and dear friend, once said in a sermon, "No one ever gets to the end of a divorce and tells me, 'Gosh, that wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would… Continue reading Broken Promises and Broken Hearts: Healing After Divorce
This facebook memory makes me laugh. And then it makes me sob. I had to say goodbye to my beloved boy a month ago today. Along with losing Henry, it’s also the seventh month my mom has been in a physical rehab facility after breaking one leg and severing a kneecap tendon in the other.… Continue reading When the New Year Still Holds Old Sorrows
My first newsletter is out! How do I feel about that? Not "fine," that's for sure. Why a newsletter? Well, it's a way for me to connect with folks a little more directly than here or other social media. This first issue tackles my thoughts on the simple question, "How are you?" I'd so appreciate… Continue reading How Are You?
You might’ve seen posts lately about Infant & Pregnancy Loss Awareness. I have mixed feelings about them. Until I remember that such a day or month of awareness isn’t for those who’ve lost babies. It’s for the people around those of us who’ve lost babies. As a childless mother, I don’t need a reminder to… Continue reading One Awareness
Patricia Alderman 