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The Four Expressions of Intimate Terrorism
The first time I heard the term intimate terrorism, I went into a moment of shock. The words hit my body like a blow. While I have lived free of abuse for eighteen years, those words, told to me a mere two weeks ago, settled into my body like a missing organ. Terrorism is a loaded term these days. We use it to describe both heinous acts of violence as well as those who hold opposing political positions. My husband doesn’t like the term, in part because for him, the word terrorism summons up images of bombs strapped to children, mass shootings, and 9/11. I reminded him of the many…
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Relocating from Glory to Glory
Glory is a touchy topic for me. Ringing in my ears still are the harsh words of a woman berating the death from cancer of a woman at the school we both taught at. Where is the glory of the Lord in someone dying of cancer? she screamed at me. I don’t think she understood what glory is. If the glory of God only resides in healthy people, then we are in trouble. Perhaps a better memory I have of the word, glory, is the wife of a pastor of a church I attended twenty years ago in Big Bear, California. She and her husband had served as missionaries in…
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The Spiritual Benefits of Wandering
I am an expert in wandering, I think. My husband and I have now moved seven times in as many years. Some were choices we made; others were thrust upon us. I have lived in seven states and am now starting my journey to Alaska. My husband dreamed of moving to Alaska as a young boy. He couldn’t bear to return a book on the subject to the library as a young boy. He kept it hidden in the bushes for months until finally the mildew and slugs decimated it. For him, our ten-day trek through Canada and Alaska is the realization of a dream. For me, not so much.…
Healing Through Art & Words
