Those who follow this blog already know how little I approve of slinging mud at another religious community. I object again and again to Pagans who demonize Christianity in their rhetoric, and, as an outsider to Christianity, I feel that it isn’t fitting for me to criticize it. But as a Quaker, I’m feeling a need today to call Quaker Christianity out on a problem: y’all need to look up from Christianity, regardless of how you may feel about Pagans... Read more

I have becomeJanuary apples, soft, though sweet.Flesh withered, slumped and baked,My bloom is gone. No summer pippin, I,No garland in bright May. I have no show in me that’s left to make,No sour-sweetness beckoning.Perhaps there is no more in meOf gladness for the eye, or heart, or mind. Plain nourishment is all I have–But I will keep you warm, my love,With memories of spring. Read more

Recently, I blogged about my enjoyment of a sport I’m no longer able to practice: kendo-style sparring with padded swords (boffers, to those in the know). The same back injury that keeps me from sitting down as I type these words took the sword out of my hands for good–though the glory–at least with my 9th grade students–lives on. I shared that story on the blog partly because it keeps my spirits up, in this long and pain-filled winter, to... Read more

I am annoyed with myself. I like to think of myself as a warm and compassionate person; I like to have a sense of my own concern and tenderness for the people around me, and especially in my meeting. At times I live up to that sense of myself. But among the many things that I dislike about physical pain is the discovery that I’m a lot more self-absorbed than I liked to think. My world has narrowed to be... Read more

If one plans to become a middle-aged female teacher of high school English, there is no better preparation than the study of the sword. Seriously. Yesterday, as I was packing up my materials to leave school for the weekend–an enterprise which, since my back problems flared up, has required a lot of student assistance–one of the small tribe of students who had been staying after in my room, playing online games and discussing zombies with one another, asked me a... Read more

Warning: You are entering a rant. Brace yourself. This one is directed at the Pagans among us. Can we talk? Because I would like to humbly propose we make 2010 the year we leave Jesus out of it. Now, I’m not addressing myself to those of us who have an ongoing relationship of some sort with Mary’s baby boy. I’m not disparaging (or praising, so purists please don’t get your knickers in a twist here) those who consider themselves Christo-Pagans,... Read more

I like to knit, but I hate the beginning of the process. Because I am not a standard size, and because I often knit from homespun yarn, I can never simply take a pattern and knit it according to the directions and hope it comes out right. I have to knit a gauge swatch, and then measure it in several places, and do the math. I have to do the match for how many stitches I get per inch, and... Read more

We’re number six! We’re number six! The anthology of Quaker bloggers, Writing Cheerfully on the Web (featuring, among others, yours truly!) made the top ten best-sellers this year at Quaker Books! OK. Technically, that’s way too many exclamation points. I would never let one of my writing students get away with that many exclamation points in a row. But we’re excited around here, and we don’t care who knows it! And, if you haven’t done so already, how about celebrating... Read more

It’s still quite difficult to blog; I’m used to sitting down for two or three hours when the writing fit is on me, and my spine objects to anything over ten minutes. So I’ll keep this short and sweet… I celebrated my Solstice with a day off from my job–and I’m so glad I am openly requesting religious holidays at last. On my day off, I watched the sun come up through the line of white pines at the edge... Read more

The nearness of Yule has a different feel to it this year, our first year living by the woods again. Since my back injury, I have spent a lot of time walking in those woods, alone, or with Peter and our dogs. Pain pills help; the heating pad and orthopedic chair help more; however, the only thing that really banishes the pain for any length of time is walking, particularly outdoors. I love the woods and walking in any case,... Read more