Yesterday, I hired the Wolfpup to come and play with the girls for four hours so I could work. I finished four pages for an art journal which I want to publish on Lulu in the fall. Here’s a little preview of a few of the pages….

what i need to sing.

a handful

simple things

Lan´guish`ing
1. Becoming languid and weak; pining; losing health and strength.
2. Amorously pensive; indicating melancholy; as, languishing eyes, or look.
3. Suffering neglect, neglected.
4. Continuing in a weak or deteriorating state, lingering.

I’ve been languishing this Summer. I don’t hate Summer or anything. As a matter of fact, here are some of the many things I love about Summer in Seattle:

• Playing on the beaches.
• Listening to the girls singing the songs they learned at Bible camp
• “No rush” mornings.
• Vitamin D (great for migraine prevention!)
• Dinner outdoors.
• Sprinklers.
• Picking the entire salad out of your garden.
• Freckles.

But there are things I don’t like about the Summer too. For instance, the kids are here all the time! Lest you think I’m the only one this bugs, … {read more…}

Here’s some upcoming Seattle stuff that you local yokels might be interested in.

First off, Brian McClaren, author of A New Kind of Christian and other books on postmodern faith will be speaking at Seattle First Baptist Church, Monday June 12 at 7pm. This event is free and is sponsored by the fabulous independent bookseller, Elliot Bay Bookstore. For more info, click here.

On the heals of the First Baptist event, there’s a chance to chat with Brian at Off the Map’s fundraising event Tuesday, June 13th from 9:30-11:30am at Vineyard Community Church. This event cost $20 at the door and includes coffee, pastries, and conversation. Click here for location information.

Also coming up is the … {read more…}

Hello Friends,

It’s Urban Abbess here to tell you that I am in Love, Love, LOVE with this journal by artist Sabrina Ward Harrison. At first the pre-loved prepared pages were so lovely that I didn’t want to scribble on them. In fact, I was so reluctant to write on this book that I actually copied down ALL of the journal prompts into another notebook instead. At the same time I was experimenting by mixing collage and writing together in one of my own blank books. Like This:

Seeing my own collages surrounded by text helped me be bold enough to … {read more…}

I have the uncommon and completely indulgent opportunity to hang out with a bunch of artists. The writing group I attend is full of talented women who do things like write, paint, and make mosaics. Their day jobs include art therapy, spiritual direction and physical therapy – so it’s a very nurturing group! There are also a lot of artists at Monkfish Abbey, and not a few in the Women’s Circle I’ve just joined. I’ve been getting a lot of decent advice and good old fashioned camaraderie.

I know not everyone is as fortunate to have such serendipitous connections. So to assuage my guilt, I’ll pass some of the goodness along as best as I’m able. Here’s what I’ve learned … {read more…}

Two week ago I had a dream about Anne Lamott. In my dream she was mousy and kind of boring looking, with a dull brown hairdo (no dreads.) I think that in dreamland I got Mary Oliver’s hairstyle mixed up with Anne’s. Any how, in my dream Anne was doing Q&A at a reading, and everyone was raising their hands and jumping up and down holding her books over thier heads in hope of gaining an autograph. I thought all the questions were really insipid, and was patiently waiting in the back row for Anne to acknowledge me so I could ask her my obviously brilliant and insightful question.

Being short and in the back row, this never … {read more…}

the basin is dry again. the stones lie at the bottom bereft of holy water. the cathedral, though nearly empty, is loud. someone laughs raucously in the hall behind the high altar. i feel resentful. i resent.

all day i have been slow to move and heavy. the pain like a skewer driven through my skull at either side of the median. the hopeful three days of cure a hoax. the botox a failure. my eyes are dry and tired and i doze in the face of to-do lists, sleep before stacks of laundry. the euphoria of yesterday’s lenten anticipation is gone.

now i am only
hollow

a rattling knuckle
loose inside my skull
a dog’s bone
a chewed on joint
rolling and clanking
with any subtle movement
loosed … {read more…}

So I’ve been pondering Lent for a bit. I have a love hate relationship with Lent — which is the 40 days before Easter. On the one hand I resist the tendency of the religious culture I was raised in to see Lent as a nice long period of self-flaggelation and general bad feelings. On the other, I adore the idea of spending 40 days with Jesus — in the desert or otherwise. Added to this is my general love of all things self-improvement oriented and 40 days of any sort of noble goal is very motivating to me.

This year, I’ m trying to think through a couple of things about how we at Monkfish Abbey should celebrate Lent. … {read more…}

The elevator doors open with a hiss, with a sigh. Jake sighs. He moves heavily through the retreating doors, shoulders creeping unknowingly towards his ears, his head weighty on the stem of his neck. He wills his feet to move him towards his car; puts his hand into the large square pocket of his canvas coat; his fingertips reach for his keys. Instead he finds the ridged rim of a prescription bottle. It rattles. Jake encloses the cap with two fingers and a thumb, extracts the culprit. Lyrica, 20 milligrams, 60 count. Do not operate heavy machinery. Do not take with alcohol. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Lyrica. Such a pretty name. Like a sultry goddess. Like … {read more…}

give some love away today!