I consider myself lucky that I no longer have to travel on holiday weekends. When my kids were young, vacations had to be planned around their school breaks, which always coincided with a holiday. But since then, I’ve avoided those crowded travel times. This is twofold; I’m graciously giving space to families with school time constraints and selfishly circumventing my own stress level brought on from overcrowded airports and delayed flights.

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Sometimes I feel like I am shouting (my metaphor for writing) into the wind. Therefore, when I get a reply of any kind on my blog, I like it. It is nice to know people are reading my weekly posts, even if the knowing is sometimes coming from a not-so-nice comment or an unsubscribe.

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After losing our Brave Magazine editor to retirement, I wondered if Flag and Banner (FAB) would ever have the chutzpah to publish it again. I say that because making a magazine is hard work, expensive and takes a lot of brain power, thus the editor must be someone with a passion for it, otherwise it becomes something we (the marketing department) collectively put off, and put off, and put off. Which we did for a while. But I am glad to say it is back and we feel like proud papas (or mamas).

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Our family doesn’t need a reason to get together, because we do it all the time, but this past weekend we did it with spiritual purpose; It was for baby Arthur’s Christening ceremony. As we gathered around the water, donned in our best clothes (and before we did some day drinking) I broke church protocol and sneakily snapped this precious picture. Note: the Dean even has a halo!

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Last Independence Day happened to fall on Sunday, a day of worship for many Americans and, as usual, I was at ushering at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral that morning. Because of our country’s deep tension between worship and patriotism, I felt sorry for our dean who, in her sermon that day, had to find the balance between celebrating the gospel and nationalism. She found the common ground in the word “Freedom.”

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Kids complain about school and grown-ups complain about work. But, when gone from your life, you realize how much you miss the socialization and the opportunities that working and learning afford you.

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