• refugee
    Displacement

    Jesus: Child Refugee on the Run

    And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night and departed into Egypt. Matthew 2:13-14 That Jesus spent a good part of his childhood as a refugee wrenches my heart. I remember taking a train from Georgia to Los Angeles with my four girls as we fled my ex-husband. My youngest wasn’t yet six months. I tried to…

  • displacement
    Belonging,  Displacement

    Displacement and Disgrace: The Christmas Story

    December has typically represented displacement for me in the last few years. This Christmas will mark the first Christmas that I have not moved in four years. It will mark the first Christmas without any of my kids. I am not complaining, mind you. I do not wish to be the poster woman for the First World Problems meme. But for someone who just learned how to do Christmas well, to enjoy the holiday with family, it feels like a loss. The reasons are somewhat complicated, involving jobs and relocations and sometimes impossible working situations. But the fact remains that I will not be pulling out much, if any, décor…