Sublime

As Tish Harrison Warren wrote in her book Liturgy of the Ordinary (a must-read for all young parents), Examining my daily liturgy as a liturgy—as something that both revealed and shaped what I love and worship—allowed me to realize that my daily practices were malforming me, making me less alive, less human, less able to give and receive love throu

If all great things are done by a series of small things put together, then great lives are created by a series of small moments put together, most of which we miss out on because we’re writing the synopsis rather than the paragraphs of the chapters.

Thank you, Damani Baker, for building a life with me that has space for grief and pleasure, art and children, adventure and peace.

First, it’s about giving something that costs you:

“One day,” he says, “God will give you the years the sadness has eaten, both fruit and rind. You won’t know what to do with all the pears and plums and it’ll be better than before.” Not placating, no, but something much more.

From the first minute she was a force every bit as recognizable as her mother. That feeling of life coming into the room was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before, a flood of joy. I thought of it ten years later when I climbed into my grandmother’s bed and held her while she died. The light pouring in and the light going out.

We lit votive candles and began. We gathered pictures from all over the house, and, one by one, sat with the picture of a particular grandchild in front of her as she spoke about their special qualities and life journey. Her eyes would fill with tears as she looked at the photos of her grandchildren and talked about how much she loved each one, how