Observations and stories about life as we know it
In which Sumi talks about life in New York City (where she moved almost by accident), having a teeny dog (#teammouse), providing a theme for each year of her life (#yearoflaughter), doing stand-up comedy, her relationship with Mindy Kaling, and oh so much more.
Listen here:
http://betsyrosso.podbean.com/e/season-2-episode-2-five-questions-with-sumi-vatsa/
In which my dad, Bob Rosenblatt, describes his exploits in Times Square in the middle of the night as a copy boy during college and his sunrise trips to take a nap on the beach.
Listen here: http://betsyrosso.podbean.com/e/season-2-episode-1-five-questions-with-bob-rosenblatt/
In which Tara discusses transforming her house into a thumping dance party, how she gets unstuck, having the courage to leave a great job, and more. Listen here: http://betsyrosso.podbean.com/e/five-questions-with-tara-spuhler-mccabe/
In which Silvia discusses her dream of flying, her love of walking, her experience as a pilgrim in Spain, how you can comfort her or win her heart with food, and social commentary in Brazilian music.
Listen here: http://betsyrosso.podbean.com/e/five-questions-with-silvia-lovato/
In which Kristin talks about getting married, having two kids, and launching a business in just a few years, following her guru, moving to Boston and changing the direction of her life, the time her son locked her out of her bedroom to keep the bad guys out, watching Golden Girls reruns, and more.
Listen here: http://betsyrosso.podbean.com/e/five-questions-with-kristin-daus/
In which Brian talks about collaborating with Prince, the effect that music could have on the entire world for 15 minutes, the lake in Austin by which he would like to sit but not swim in, why he’d like to visit England and Australia, and more.
Listen here: http://betsyrosso.podbean.com/e/five-questions-with-brian-horace/
I used to be a cryer
I would weep during hymns
I would tear up at commercials
I cried whenever a children’s choir sang, years before I became a mother
I would cry reading certain poignant picture books to my kids
They would look up at me, puzzled. Sometimes my daughter would pat my back,
sweetly
I have been no stranger to heaving, angry sobs
To the kind of crying that devolves into snot and a pounding head and a sore throat
The kind that is like an exorcism
I have wept in my car
Sometimes while driving
Sometimes parked outside something I didn’t want to face
I have cried in the shower to camouflage my sadness
Lately
no tears will come
Not for lack of reasons to despair, lament, mourn
for there are plenty
more than enough
Yet instead of streaming down my cheeks
Only a stingy drop or two fills my eyes
Only enough to sting
not to cleanse
I envy your cathartic crying that comes so often now
and why shouldn’t it?
Tonight, listening to a familiar favorite folk singer
observing that all her songs sounded more melancholy than I’d heard them before
understanding why,
I squeezed my eyes closed
watching the silhouettes form behind my eyelids–
a turtle, an archer, a waitress serving pie
Sensing an enormous reservoir
of unshed tears
rising, rising
I had the privilege of serving as worship associate at church this morning for our Christmas Eve services. These are the words I used to open the service.
Call to Worship
We come to this place filled with anticipation.
Some of us await a miraculous birth and envision redemption.
Some of us hold out hope for an everyday miracle.
We come to this place with lingering sorrows, or fresh, sharp grief.
We long for what once was or something we never had.
We come with excitement, joy, and gratitude
for those we love gathered around us.
We come together this morning to hear a familiar story told by new voices.
We come to sing old songs that reawaken our hearts.
We come listening for peace, seeking comfort, in need of love.
Let us take this time to practice the peace, provide the comfort,
share the love with our sisters and brothers.
Chalice Lighting
May the flame of our chalice be a brilliant reminder of the divine spark
Within each of us
The spark that we see in each other’s eyes.
The spark that grows bigger when we share a kindness.
The spark that glows brighter when we laugh together.
The spark that holds steady when we cry together.
On this Christmas Eve morning,
may the flame of our chalice remind us of the star that
shepherds and magi followed so long ago.
May this flame serve as our star today.
Episode #33 is up! Becky Owen discusses why she’s a bad military wife, how flying from Germany to the US with five children is easier than grocery shopping, what family means, the best way to teach your kids about Egyptian history, and more.
In which Terri discusses the unexpectedly paradoxical contrast between her childhood in DC and boarding school in Massachussetts and how it changed the course of her life, helping her daughter aim for Miss America, the music that moves and inspires her, and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
You Ask a Lot of Questions 