Any excuse for a party, that was Frank. Birthday, have a party. New Year’s eve, have a party. Summer solstice, have a party. New baby on the street, have a party. New neighbours, have a party. I remember when he got his new car. What was the first thing he did? He had a party!
....continue readingMonth: December 2016
The things you do for Love
My partner and I had been dancing around a break-up for a while. It was a relationship that had met some mutual needs, and I had loved him for a long time. But the love had gone, at least the depth of it, and all that was left were the games.
....continue readingPeekaboo, it’s God!
When Tosha and Matt started coming along to the church they were already expecting their first child. Tosha had that sort of glow that often accompanies women as new life springs forth. Matt had the look of someone who had decided to take a nice leisurely ride on life’s horse, only to find himself hanging on for dear life whilst his steed galloped full speed through thickets and brambles alike. You really couldn’t help but fall in love with both of them.
....continue readingSanta’s miracle
This Church Christmas event wasn’t without its challenges; and Santa was having a bad day. The company that was building his house in West Virginia had filed for bankruptcy. His day job wasn’t going well. His family had sent a Christmas card that pointedly ignored his husband. His bills were mounting; and the floor on the mobile home they rented was falling through. He could but hope that the rats and snakes that had made their home under its axle would slumber on.
....continue readingGoing home for Christmas
Christmas was an especially difficult time of year for me. As other children waited in anticipation for the big day, I mimicked ambivalence. There was no gaily decorated tree for me; no gifts to look forward to; and no Christmas parties. My parents even barred me from the school party. I remember sitting outside the social hall doors reading a book and listening to the muffled music that played inside. Once in a while a teacher would remember to check that I was still there.
....continue readingIs God listening?
Two women were praying in a church. One was a church member who had come in to set up for Sunday School. The second was a local sex worker that occasionally came to the church food bank for groceries. They almost sat next to each other, but on different sides of the aisle.
....continue readingLosing everything to gain it all
She’d always known she was a girl.
Despite the blue they’d dressed her in.
Despite the pigeonholing throughout school.
Despite the trousers, jackets, and flat shoes.
It’s hardly Sophie’s choice, is it?
Torn between two churches. On the one hand there was the church that had been home for over ten years. He knew the people there, and they knew him. OK, so some of them looked down their nose at him, some avoided him completely, but he still had friends there and he liked the pastor. He’d been to the pastor’s house for dinner.
....continue readingIs this magic?
I was living in Hoboken and working at the church in Manhattan. Over the first year I was there preparing for my ordination I got to know some church members quite well. I really didn’t expect things to change much after I got ordained. After all, I was the same person both before and after.
....continue reading