Hope Is Real!

God does not give up on us, but calls each and every one of us to God self, to relationship, to community and to God's ideal vision.  And we, imbued with that kind of calling, have the power to change the world. (77) Making a Way Out of No Way by Monica A. Coleman The hearing was very hard-one of the most stressful things I have done in a long time.  My lawyer was very nice and the psychologist was on my side, but still, talking about my diagnosis with people I had never met before was intimidating and even though I knew why my lawyer had my files, it was not comfortable.   It absolutely wore me out and unfortunately talking about old urges and symptoms brought some of them back.  Anxiety returned and I was having trouble finding peace of mind, so it was time to figure out what coping skills would work until I returned back to normal.  It's funny how different coping skills will work at different times and I found last weekend that art did the trick-it seemed the on

This was the book my feminist book club chose for February and it lent itself to one of our best discussions!  The book is definitely academically focused and can be dry at times.  I do not think I would recommend it for pleasure reading, but if you want another way to think about the classics, then this book may be for you.  In it, Miller focuses on the “Great” female writers and looks at how they wrote about men.  I’m going to share the ideas and quotes that I think are the most interesting and intriguing. Miller introduces the concept of “learned androgyny”- that women writers in order to be successful must try to write “like a man” in order to be taken seriously.  Women who are known as women have a lot more to fear. “Let us pause to consider androgyny and the possibility that women have been schooled in androgyny.  Any such notion must be permeable, for they have also been schooled to be women and to be women for men.  They must avoid mannishness and monstrousness, they

My next few posts will be book reviews  - my periods of depression have kept me from posting them as regularly as I usually do, so you will be getting a bunch in a row, but hopefully they will serve to inspire and give you food for thought. Cinematic States by Gareth Higgins This was a Speakeasy book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.  It was a quick, easy, and interesting read.  The premise is that Higgins, who has come to live in the United States from Ireland, needs a way to connect with his American neighbors and since he is a film buff, he decides to watch and analyze films that he feels represent each American state to see what he can learn about its people.   As I was reading, it was fun to guess what films he would pick to represent each state-some were obvious, like Gone with the Wind for Georgia or The Wizard of Oz for Kansas and some were not so obvious, like Fight Club for Delaware.  I was disappointed that so many of the movies that represented the South po

Today, in Atlanta, it is Spring. (Daffodils from our garden) Last Sunday, in Atlanta, it was Spring and I sang a song by Joni Mitchell and I was welcomed as I joined my new church . Like I imagine the bright yellow flowers do, my heart sang jubilantly.  I had originally chosen the song, because it fit the Scripture passages we were using that day so well, but I realized later that it also fit my feelings of trepidation and fear of making such a commitment perfectly: Daylight falls upon the path The forest falls behind Today I am not prey to dark uncertainty The shadow trembles in its path I've robbed its blackness blind And tasted sunlight as my fear came clear to me I think I understand Fear is like a wilderland Stepping stones or sinking sand Now the way leads to the hills Above the steeple's chime Below the sleepy rooftops round the harbor It's there I'll take my thirsty fill Of friendship over wine Forgetting fear but never disregarding her