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Vertigo
Two weeks ago, I was in Switzerland, gifted (literally) with a retreat for the women in our organization. Even as a writer, it’s hard to find words to sum up the time. Stunning comes the closest to describe the experience on all fronts: physically, relationally, spiritually. One morning I walked to Burgruine Unspunen, old castle…
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Brilliance in Neutrals
One of the perks of living in Europe is that it’s so very close to… well, Europe. Hence, we’ve seen a lot of cathedrals. London alone has dozens, and while I would never argue that if you’ve seen one cathedral, you’ve seen them all, European cathedrals and chapels do offer a predictable checklist of characteristics:…
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To love a child
If you could relive a single day what would it be? Today, a week after my son’s wedding, I’d chose a magnificently ordinary day: He would be 5 or 6, young enough to still call me Mama. Old enough to ride bikes to the Library. Past Jefferson School. Past the Brunner’s house. To the downtown…
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What to Kill
It’s not often that the word kill moves us to buy something. Except when it comes to weeds. We want our weeds gone, not wounded, not rendered sickly, but dead. So much so that we may be tempted to reach for a bottle that boasts the promise killer. Even if a pair of gardening gloves…
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Bins and Basements
Yesterday I met with my prayer squad: three British friends, me, and Jackie, a fellow American and native Wisconsinite. Somehow, Jackie and I got to talking about how moving to London forced us to sort and purge possessions and decide what should be stored in bins in our respective parents’ basements. “Different kind of bin,”…
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It’s Christmas Day and my tree is dead
Sometimes Christmas doesn’t go as planned. Scratch that. Christmas never goes as planned. Not entirely, anyway. Our Christmas tree has been put out to pasture which, in this case, is our back garden. Undecorating it the day after Christmas – Boxing Day – was a bit gloomy but the poor thing had been refusing water…
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Open Kitchens
My kitchen is the opposite of ‘open concept’. With one door leading to our back garden and another that properly closes to the rest of the house, you could say my wonky kitchen boasts a closed concept design. Once inside with the door shut, no one can see what you’re up to. If you mistake…
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Fighting Foxes
There are foxes in London. Shortly after we moved here, when I first glimpsed one slinking down the street, I actually cooed, like we all do over a puppy. I know, I know… All of my London friends are shaking their heads at this silly Yankee but in my defense, although plenty of deer visited…
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Buried Truth
What is truth? Such is the question Pilate, governor of Judaea, posed to Jesus, the very person who shockingly claimed, ‘I am the Truth’. History is full of sages who have grappled with the notion of truth: Socrates: Lies are the greatest murderer. They kill the truth. Buddha: Three things can not be long hidden:…
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Mission Impossible
( originally published https://blogs.efca.org/posts/mission-impossible EFCA) I am not moving to London. At least that’s what I told God from our rented room on the top story of The Forester Pub in west London. It was the third night of our family’s vision trip, the culmination of months of praying, counsel-seeking, investigating and eventually applying and…
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Rachel Allord 