Who was this Anna? Unlike many other women in the Bible, we get a portion of Anna’s genealogy. We see she is of the tribe of Asher. Her husband is not named, not identified. In a patriarchal society Anna lost her husband but not her identity. She was able to stay rooted in who sheContinue reading “Anna, The Prophet”
Author Archives: widowedandwriting
Anna, the Widow
After my husband died, I threw myself into an exploration of biblical widows. And since I genuinely love research (nerd alert) this included more than a handful of commentaries and books. Doesn’t everyone have a theology section in their home library? I figured it was about time I introduced you to some of these badassContinue reading “Anna, the Widow”
Tears of Love
I got married four days after Christmas. At the time, this made perfect sense. 1. I love Christmas, both the church and the reception venue would still be decorated for Christmas-this would save me a ton of money and was my preferred aesthetic. 2. I was finishing graduate school in December, so I would beContinue reading “Tears of Love”
Gathering the Graces
Ah advent. The season where I, in the same breath, sing “Let it be to me” and scream “it’s called a turn signal asshole!” during my morning commute. I like to imagine God watching the scene and explaining to the angels “It’s a work in progress.” When I first decided to do an advent seriesContinue reading “Gathering the Graces”
The Music of Advent
Singing has always been my favorite way to pray. The songs of advent provide some of the richest texts and most beautiful melodies with which to pray. So this post comes with a playlist (click here for the songs). Below you will find my favorite verse from each of the selected songs, but you’ll getContinue reading “The Music of Advent”
The Advent Wreath
“The long dawn of Advent begins, for now is the season of an ever-growing and an ever-kindly light-the one that lets us see reality more clearly.” (Kate Bowler, intro to Advent devotional) These words immediately make me think of the advent wreath. A visible symbol of the light growing brighter and brighter until finally ChristContinue reading “The Advent Wreath”
Tis the Season
Of Advent. The season is Advent. Not Christmas, Advent. I’ll admit, growing up, I didn’t truly appreciate the difference. Someone would say, “don’t you love the Christmas season?” and I would sanctimoniously reply, “Actually, it’s Advent” (y’all know how much I love a high horse). Christmas is my all-time favorite holiday and I leaned hardContinue reading “Tis the Season”
No-vember
Like any good millennial I spend much of my day consumed with social media and am therefore very aware of all the trends. November has some of my favorites. It starts sweet with 30 days of thankfulness, then gets sassy with the trending hashtag no nuance November. Apparently, other people can sometimes have trouble speakingContinue reading “No-vember”
The Liminal Space
I love words-especially words that somehow capture an entire concept. I’m a sucker for lists like this that show you words in other languages that perfectly encapsulate a feeling we can only awkwardly describe in English. One of my favorites had a real moment a year or two ago-it’s the Danish word Hygge meaning aContinue reading “The Liminal Space”
It’s my Birthday and I’ll Cry if I Want To
My birthday falls about a month before my late husband’s. When we were first dating I loved that. It meant he had to buy me a gift first and I could see exactly what level of gift giving he thought we were at before I had to buy him a present. Heaven forbid I giftContinue reading “It’s my Birthday and I’ll Cry if I Want To”
Widowed and Writing 