Author: Maria Johnson

things that make me feel cozy…

…because it’s raining cats and poodles…and I don’t like cats…and I’m not a fan of poodles, either.

But I digress.

Things that make me feel cozy! Without further ado…

1. Hot chocolate…warms me up on the inside. And it’s yummy.

2. A fire! Ideally in a fireplace. I like the warmth on my skin, the crackle of the wood, the shadows and light from the flames.

3. A soft blanket and a nap on the sofa. Because reasons.

 

the end.

what is this feminine genius thing, anyway?

I often tease my friend Pat Gohn that I’m an Among Women fangirl. Maybe it’s Pat’s voice, so rich and engaging. Maybe it’s her ability to break down complex theological concepts into a conversation we could have over a cup of coffee (or two…or three!). Maybe it’s just the gentle way she has with her guests as well as the subject matter. You see, she takes these tough topics, like today, on the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and talks about them in a straightforward way that doesn’t mince words or pull any punches, but still comes across with love and respect.

Do read what she says about women, our gift of maternity, our need for dignity, and our source of healing.

Here’s a snippet from her article at the Washington Post. You know you want more…

The gift of maternity is inherent in all women. They are predisposed to motherhood by their design. Yet, as we know, not all women bear children. Even if a woman never gives birth, a woman’s life is still inclined toward mothering. All women are entrusted with the call to care for the people within their sphere of influence. This broadens our ideas of maternity beyond gestation and lactation.

A woman’s relationships with others, even though they may not be fruitful biologically, can be fruitful spiritually. Therefore a woman’s life–her feminine genius–is characterized by physical and/or spiritual motherhood.

Read the whole article here. Tell your friends to read it, too. And then tell her that she rocks. It’s tough telling the truth in today’s world.

comment love — we all want it

Yeah, I say I write here for myself bla-bla-bla and it’s my place for self-expression bla-bla-bla and I like having a creative outlet, more bla, now with added etcetera….

But that’s only part of the truth. I also like to know you like me. Even if it’s only a little bit. Like, maybe, every once in a while you liked something I posted. Not the ugly rants from earlier today, or even pictures and video I swipe from Facebook or Youtube. I mean when I post something that’s maybe a little intimate. A family picture. A serious reflection on something that’s important to me.

I want to know that I’m somehow relevant in this opportunity for conversation that more often than not feels like a monologue. I appreciate the random comments. I try to respond to them, but I assure you I read them 🙂

So when a bot gets a hold of this blog, and I get insanity like this:

Wonderful beat ! I would like to apprentice even as you amend your website, how could i subscribe for a blog website? The account aided me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright transparent concept

It disappoints me because I thought it was somebody playing nice.

And then…I laugh. Because it’s funny. It’s like a really bad lorem ipsum explosion that wants to try to say something.

I always strive to have a bright transparent concept. Don’t you?

today’s stupid brought to you by Sesame Street?

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I’m probably a little late to this dance, but I just heard that a teacher is suing her school system because she’s afraid of the children.

Let that sink in for a minute….

Here’s the New York Times article, but I’ll give you a little blurb:

A former teacher is suing the Cincinnati school district, saying she was discriminated against because of her rare phobia: a fear of young children.

You know what? I’m afraid of heights. One of my kids is afraid of spiders. I don’t work as a window washer. My kid isn’t an exterminator. Know what I mean?

Who becomes a teacher with a fear of children? C’mon! Enough already. Grow up and admit you don’t like middle schoolers (and really, who does when they are in a pack?). Own up to the fact that at age 60, you don’t want to deal with thirteen year olds after a comfortable career with older kids, and you wish to retire because you don’t want to do your job anymore. Nobody is going to judge. Much.

Meanwhile, can I get workman’s comp for excessive exposure to comma splices and pronoun antecedent agreement errors?

3 things about me

1. I am afraid of heights. It doesn’t keep me from climbing everything, though. I once had a panic attack on the top of the Pont du Gard in France. I was walking along the very top, looked down, and froze. My companions, freaked out that Les Mistral, a wacky unexpected wind would come along and blow us off, made a single file, put me in the middle, and hauled me off. Good friends.

2. I don’t like Lord of the Rings. Not even a little. I don’t even feel badly about it.

3. Sometimes I put a song on repeat and play it a gazillion times.

funny what a picture makes me think

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I have no words to put here these days, a pretty lousy condition for a blogger, so I thought I’d share a picture that I took in Kansas City. It’s the World War I Memorial, a pretty imposing structure. I took a walk there one afternoon, enjoying the crisp fall weather and the sunny day coming to an end. I was carrying my camera in the pocket of my hoodie and while I tried to keep the lens clean, it was obviously full of lint or fine dust from the pocket and it made all kinds of flares and messes in the shot.

Here’s the thing, though. I like it. It might have been a nice clean shot, something that reminded me of the monolith shot in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Instead, I got this. I don’t know what this is, but I like it. Silhouette not quite black. Light bursting through. Dirt obscuring the brilliance of the scene.

It makes me think of life. Not always a clean sharp picture. Not always the shot you’d like to frame. And yet, it holds a unique and singular beauty.