(During some Passover celebrations, Jews drop bits of wine on a napkin, citing each plague which G-d caused to come upon the Egyptians and saying, “Dayenu!”, or “it would have been enough with only that!”) In 1998, when I was beginning to learn about black pioneers, Susie Mae Thomas started coming to my ward, though she didn’t live in my boundaries. In retrospect, her presence was a miracle for me. Though she couldn’t speak because of a stroke, she was... Read more
Elsie Gray was close to miscarrying her baby, and had already had several miscarriages. She summoned the “Sisters”–Pentecostal women, who anointed her womb with consecrated oil and ministered to her, dedicating the fruit of her womb to God. Darius Aidan Gray was born healthy on December 12, 19?? (no, I won’t reveal his birth year), though he suffered health problems for much of his childhood. As a teen, he read about Sampson and decided that he would do as Sampson... Read more
David of Nebula Part 3 of 4 Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here. David walked towards the nearest armchair, glancing around. There were paintings on the walls—of big rocks and many hues. “But you did see the lights back then,” David said. “Of course. I waited thirty years before I wrote it down, though. Perhaps I left out a detail or two. And perhaps I missed a few things. Well, I didn’t see the rainbow, did I. Apparently,... Read more
This beautiful essay is by my brother, Dell Blair. Dell and I love Central and South America. Dell speaks Quichua and Spanish. Our siblings tended to go more to China. Dad went everywhere. This is one of the great Blair legacies. We do not tour. We root ourselves in places and people. Dell’s essay shows it so movingly. Amado Maldonado. Shoulder deep into the dark soil the shovel tip snagged the edge of another casket. “Good,” said Rafael. “Dig to... Read more
David of Nebula Part 1 (of four parts) is here. An audio CD of the story is free with a tax-deductible donation to the film Heart of Africa. Part 2 Again, David faced the door and knocked—three times this time, as hard as he could. He glanced behind him to see one last trace of the arc. It was gone. He could hear steps. They stopped just inches away, right behind the door. The knob moved, and the door opened—just... Read more
Several years ago, I was sitting on a cabin porch with my son. We watched the stars and talked openly. It was a hard but needed talk, the beginning of our deeper friendship. At one point, I told him a story. I will post the story here in four parts, beginning today. I have made an audio CD of it, which I will send to anyone who donates to the Heart of Africa film. (Honor system. If you tell me... Read more
I will be making calendars of various bear Mormon women/females. I am doing this as a protest. Yes. It is controversial. But as Edmund Spenser said: “Be bold, be bold, be not too bold.” I am being boldly bold, but not boldly boldest. Show your support for this protest against oppressive patriarchies by donating $20.00 to Heart of Africa Read more
Mom reading The God Who Weeps to Dad I talk a lot about my dad and often neglect to talk about my mother. This post is for her. The picture, one I took with my phone (sorry!), shows her doing what she does every night. She reads to my dad. As visitors drop by, Dad sometimes talks about how grateful he is for what others do for him. “My wife, Julia,” he says, “reads to me every night. She serves... Read more
One assignment I give my students is to write a letter. My objective is for them to use their natural voice and to focus on a familiar audience, and thus to escape the pretentions of “officialese” or academic loquaciousness (like that). This semester, a student wrote to herself in the future, asking if she had turned out okay. It was a lovely essay. Five years ago, I wrote this to a missionary in the Congo–one I had later as a... Read more
This is by my friend Kerri Lynn Harris Bigler. I resonate with her insights on Veterans’ Day. With her permission, I post it here. She blogs at Www.unevieenrose.com Text: Every year, I am humbled by November 11, which in the US is celebrated and holidayed as “Veterans’ Day”. In the United States, it is a day we remember those who have served in the Armed Forces, particularly during times and places of war. Many cities have veterans’ parades and military... Read more
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