Having a gym membership doesn’t make you fit.Going to a garage doesn’t make you a car.Attending church doesn’t make you religious. For many people, religion is a significant aspect of their identity, representing the group with which they feel kinship and the people with whom they spend time. Religion can provide a path that helps us…
Before “social distancing” and “flattening the curve” became commonplace terms… Before closings and cancellations… Before the hoarding of toilet tissue, hand sanitizer, and water bottles… We had one last hurrah. You never know when the last time will be last, until you look back. It seems much longer than less than two weeks ago… To…
While we would like to pretend otherwise, death will come to all. Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, originated in Mexico. The festivities honor those who have gone before and marks life’s end as an occasion for hope and cheer. Celebrated annually from 31 October to 2 November, the holiday corresponds to Halloween,…
After I heard a presentation by Abigail Disney [yes, a member of that Disney family], I watched a documentary she produced. Pray the Devil Back to Hell tells the story of Christian and Muslim women of Liberia who collaborated across faith traditions to pray and protest. They obtained a meeting with Charles Taylor, a warlord who was elected President of…
Yes, it seems like a paradox, but all week I have heard stories of seemingly immutable facts suddenly changing! I was lucky enough to be invited to Harvard University’s graduation ceremonies, to celebrate my friend and co-blogger Joan’s completion of another master’s degree. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, talked about the Berlin Wall, a wall…
