Author Archives: revaam
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like…A Moving Sidewalk
I love airports, which is handy since I frequent them lately. The refreshing Sabbath of anonymity that airports offer is an introvert’s heaven. One of my favorite airport accessories is the moving sidewalk. Sometimes I use it for speed; sometimes I use it to inhale between caffeine procurement and boarding the aircraft. I enjoy that […]
Bringing A-Game to the B-Team
For many of us, doing our best and striving for an A, even the coveted A+, is typically all the motivation needed for success. Getting acknowledged feels good and doing our best is satisfying. Earning an A is worth celebrating. That is of course when it comes to school and other such performance evaluations. Not […]
Here is the Church, Here is the Steeple… Re-writing the Rhyme
A little rhyme I learned as a child goes like this, “Here is the church. Here is the steeple. Open the doors and see all the people.” There are hand gestures to go along with it to up the dexterity ante: Face hands toward each other. Lock fingers together facing down. Hold both index fingers […]
Hey, Girl! Can I Buy You a Mammogram?
The Breast Health Center waiting room was just as expected with outdated magazines about Easter décor, the June 18th edition of People, and two year old ideas for how to renovate your kitchen. I looked around at the other women and realized we all spanned about forty years in age. Some looked more anxious than […]
My So-Called Exceptional Life
Yesterday I listened as a respected colleague stated, “It’s not my fault people don’t have full-time jobs. It’s not my fault they don’t have an education. It’s not my fault they can’t pay for health insurance. It’s not my fault they can’t pay rent. Basically it’s not my fault that they don’t work as hard […]
Wisdom of the Waves
He that will learn to pray, let him go to sea.~George Herbert Prior to leaving on a jet plane to return to Chicago , I sought sanctuary in the sand to pray and listen to the ocean. As I gathered shells filled with sand and stories, I listened to the wisdom of the water. I […]
Preamble to Reaction
In light of all things beautiful and exhausting that encompass an election year in a free nation, I thought I would share one of my favorite quotations. I have it written on multiple sticky notes and posted in various places where I’ll see it every day. The quotation goes like this: Just because their way […]
Moment of Silence
Saturday evening’s events, as reported in the Chicago Tribune… “A 6-year-old boy and his mother were killed Saturday in a multivehicle wreck on Lake Shore Drive that injured two other people, authorities said. The Chicago boy was taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:21 p.m., according to the Cook County medical […]
…And An Alley Cat Shall Lead Them
It’s been quite the 6 weeks of traveling, event planning, writing, life and death at the hospital, job interviews, family fun (and dysfunction), and other such adventures. Last week I returned home to my own bed, own washer and dryer, own kitchen, own shower (did I mention my own bed?!) for the first time in […]
Diary of a Death Diva
Over the weekend, a pastor whom I don’t know contacted me asking for pediatric funeral liturgy since he, fortunately, had not officiated a child’s funeral before. He said a mutual colleague told him they used some of my liturgy for an infant funeral last year, and suggested he contact me for resources. While reading his […]
revaam 