Marilyngardner5

LATEST ARTICLES ( 1127 )

• Grief the Pesky Cat

  

  Grief—the Pesky Cat By RobynnIt struck me this week that grief is like a pesky kitten, you never know when it will spring up on you and pounce. Several times... Read more

  Posted on 20 June 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• A Life Overseas – An Encounter with the Great Interrupter

  

  Readers – I’m at A Life Overseas talking about being interrupted today. It’s a post re-written from a couple of years ago. I would love for you to join me! Read more

  Posted on 18 June 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• “Homelands”

  

  “A ‘homeland’ is not the place or soil on which a human is born, rather the place where he/she has the capacity of movement” Abdel Rahman Munif. Read more

  Posted on 17 June 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• At the End of the World You Are Small

  

  If you walk far enough down Phillips Avenue in Rockport, Massachusetts you reach the end of the world. There you stand, surrounded by a rocky coast and deep blu... Read more

  Posted on 16 June 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Reluctant Orthodox – Volume 30 “From Reluctance to Acceptance”

  

  The journey from reluctance to acceptance isn’t usually a dramatic event, it’s a slow process. It happens so slowly, in fact, that it is almost imperceptible. Read more

  Posted on 15 June 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• For Better Or for Worse: For Jet Or for Lag

  

  When Robynn sent me this post this week I shook my head in amazement – how could she read my heart so well? Enjoy this post on marriage and travel and what... Read more

  Posted on 13 June 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• Transition – Building a RAFT

  

  Reconciliation • Affirmation • Farewell • Think DestinationIn their landmark book Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds, the authors Dav... Read more

  Posted on 12 June 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• Be Okay With the Process

  

  On Sunday I connected with a third culture kid younger than me, Tayo Rockson. We talked by Skype for an hour. It didn’t matter that the video portion was not... Read more

  Posted on 10 June 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• To Love is to Hurt

  

  “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must... Read more

  Posted on 09 June 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Reluctant Orthodox – Volume 29 “On Dad, Pastors and Priests”

  

  When I was 9 years old Lizzie Hover’s dad died. He died in a head-on collision on a dusty desert road in the Sindh area of Pakistan. The night before he had bee... Read more

  Posted on 08 June 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• On Graduation an Open Letter to a Young TCK

  

  A bit under a year ago Robynn wrote An Open Letter to a Young TCK. With graduation either just past or approaching we wanted to repost this one today. Read more

  Posted on 06 June 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• Women in Hebron by Stefanie Sevim Gardner

  

  My daughter Stefanie returned from a 3-week study trip to Israel and Palestine this past Monday. We have delighted in her stories, oohing and ahhing over her... Read more

  Posted on 05 June 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• Honor the Grief, Honor the Goodbye

  

  “Make sure you say goodbye” I text these words to my son followed by “It’s important to say your goodbyes.”He is only leaving for the summer, he will be back... Read more

  Posted on 03 June 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• Glory All Around

  

  In December my friend Lara broke her leg.The circumstances in which she broke her leg were not ‘normal’, at least not for someone who lives in the city. Read more

  Posted on 02 June 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Reluctant Orthodox – Volume 28 “On Mother Susan and Poppadia Paula”

  

  “That Mother Susan is really wise.” We had arrived back home after Divine Liturgy and the welcome “post-fasting” coffee hour, designed to be substantial since w... Read more

  Posted on 01 June 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• On Hedgehogs and Happiness

  

  Our daughter, Bronwynn, was recently given a hedgehog named, Bella. A friend once described hedgehogs as “unspeakably adorable” and it’s true. Bella is perky an... Read more

  Posted on 30 May 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• On Midwives and Breathing Through the Pain

  

  I thought faith would say ‘I’ll take away the pain and discomfort’. But what it ended up saying was ‘I’ll sit with you in it.’” Brené Brown in Jesus WeptMy firs... Read more

  Posted on 29 May 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• Where is the God of Deborah?

  

  “Where was the God of Deborah? Deborah, whose words ‘March on, my soul; Be strong!’ echoed God’s affirmation of the strength and leadership of women. Where was... Read more

  Posted on 28 May 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• On the Ocean and God

  

  I love the ocean. I love its waves pounding over rocks or breaking softly over sand. I love the way it looks in calm and in storms. I love the smell and the fee... Read more

  Posted on 27 May 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• Kaleidoscope of Memories

  

  I write this while sitting in Florida at the home of my in-laws. A fan is whirring softly above me, the sounds of warmth are all around in this tropical place. Read more

  Posted on 24 May 2014 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION