Old Lessons New
“What is that you’re afraid of?” Marty sits cross-legged on her couch, leaning toward me. I’ve had several invitations recently to speak to women’s groups, so I’ve come seeking her advice, knowing she has much more experience than I do teaching large groups of adults. Genuine friend that she is, she cuts to the heart. I drop her gaze and squirm in my seat like a four-year-old. What am I afraid of? Tears well and my heart gallops. Obviously something. Minutes tick. Breathe, Beth. “I’m scared,” I whisper, lungs tight, “I’m scared of being known. I’m afraid of saying the wrong thing, giving the wrong impression, doing something that will damage my credibility and message.” And a familiar dragon, long sleeping, raises its deadly head. You see, for a lot of my...
Read MoreChoosing Motion
We are a nation breathless, lungs squeezed tight by images that come unbidden. Single-file children, crying in terror. Faces of parents, twisted in grief, in disbelief. Tiny ones, smiling from the screen, who knew fear in their last moments here. Fear. When I heard the news about the tragedy in Newtown, CT, my mind immediately went to my own children reading in another room, to my nephews’ faces, to the grinning blue eyes of my niece. A madman’s rampage made me desperate, panicky, to touch and hold and breathe the life scent of the little ones I love. As the day went on, I heard person after grieving person speak my feelings aloud. “I just want to hang onto my kids forever.” “I can’t stop crying.” “What’s wrong with this world? It seems to be just getting...
Read MoreWide Receiver
My dream is to be a wide receiver. Now, before you start trying to picture giant men in shoulder pads and helmets tackling my five-foot tall frame, let me explain. This is the season of turkey and trimmings, loosened belts and football games. It’s also a time to slow down and do some thinking, so that’s just what I’m doing. (The thinking part, not the football part!) This week in American homes all over, families will peek at each other around mounds of food and rehearse the “I am thankful for…” list: “I am thankful for my good health.” “I am thankful for my new bike.” “I am thankful we can all be together.” This is good. This is right. But is it enough? You see, there is this undeniable reality that so much about life is completely beyond our control, and things...
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