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New Year, New You and Other Lies We Believe
A few years ago on New Year’s Eve I sat around a room with friends and we began to talk about our hopes for the...
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Cultivating Space
My husband says to our children, “If I disappear, look for me in a Goodwill store!” His fear stems from the reality that I have...
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Mary Christmas
I imagine her Girl with dust-smudged cheeks. Robe wrapped tight around swollen belly, Fringed dirty. Windblown. Grit in teeth. Inner thighs burning and chapped. Donkey...
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Ponder
I have always loved the wise men. As a young child, it was my favorite part of the Christmas Eve pageant in our beautiful church....
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You Are Someone’s Advent
Advent is upon us again. I used to feel like I wasn’t ready each year as Advent rolled around. I would lament not being more...
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Renaming Certificate in Narrative Focused Trauma Care
The Allender Center has recently changed the names of our Training Certificate Level I and Level II programs. These programs are now named Certificate in...
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Cradles
“I love thee Lord Jesus, look down from the sky, and stay by my cradle til morning is nigh.” Martin Luther I remember singing this...
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The Loudness of Grief
My four-year-old son pushed gently on my still-protruding belly. “Why are you still kind of puffy there mama?” I took a deep breath to steady...
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