Today marks the feast of Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary and the grandparents of Jesus. They don’t appear in canonical scriptures; lacking source material, generations of Christians have looked for them in themselves.
When I was around eight or nine years old, I was leaving my apartment building in New York City with my mother. As we hit the sidewalk, I became overwhelmed by a huge group of people on our usually quiet block, and we got briefly separated.
After online and in-person trainings, and a firm understanding that we would not be adopting any pets of our own, we became certified Operation Kindness volunteers, the largest no kill shelter in north Texas.
When we had our first babies, reading aloud was a way to pass the time, from Narnia to seminary homework.
During my time serving as the communications director for a particular diocese in the Episcopal Church, I was often overwhelmed at the stories of grand ministry taking place all over the globe.
A few months ago, I watched a documentary on Netflix called “The Pixar Story” which charted the rise of the animation studio through its first several movies and told the story of its partnership with and ultimate acquisition by Disney.
As I sit here writing… I am inhabiting a body. As you sit there reading… you are, also, inhabiting a body.I am sure, just as I do, you have a long and complex history with your body. Most of my history surrounds my body’s interaction with gravity and how much space it takes up.
I’ve spent time in the church my whole life, first as a clergy kid and now as a clergy spouse. Where I grew up, in a very Anglo-Catholic diocese of the Episcopal Church, matters of doctrine took second chair to matters of Which Brasso Product To Use To Polish Fancy Things.
