In our lived lives, family comes in different shapes and sizes and constellations.It is in this variety—this diversity—that our lives are made fuller and our individual selves made more whole. It is in this variety, it is in this diversity, that we look back to the ancestors, recognizing no...

I come from a long line of strong Black women. My grandmother used to share stories about how she caused “trouble” in town when a white man hired her to put up the displays in his store window. At that time, all the Black women in town worked as domestics in the homes of white ladies, or in the...

My oldest child was confused: why would no one stop and help us? Even though people weren’t stopping to help us, my son said, he wanted to be more like me and stop to help someone anyway.

NOTE: All or part of this ritual can be used to bless a sacred space. We blessed our newly renovated sanctuary for the qualities and attributes we were trying to create with our renovations. Between each blessing, we sang a hymn, had a children’s story, took the offering, had a choir anthem, and...

My dad died 28 years ago. I still have some of his things: A red plaid Pendleton bath robe. (I look like Dad in that thing now.) An old Sears table saw bought used in 1950. I still use it, (but for rough cuts only). An old grinding wheel, noisy as sin, but sharpens mower blades in no time....