Historical Setting, 629 C.E. Vosges Mts. When this donkey and I have helped a neighbor here plow a strip for planting, I ask a deep favor of this neighbor. “We have Will’s wife hidden away with her family because Will can have a cruel hand.” The neighbor has a knowing smirk. IContinue reading “#56.5, Thurs., May 9, 2024”
Category Archives: Christian History
#56.4, Weds., May 8, 2024
Historical Setting, 629 C.E. Vosges Mts. Our donkey is old and not trained to work the fields, but if I walk him, and Will holds the plow steady we can plow this unturned earth much more easily than one man could do it simply by hand. These new fields are a great consternation toContinue reading “#56.4, Weds., May 8, 2024”
#56.3, Tues., May 7, 2024
Historical Setting, 629 C.E. Vosges Mts. Tenderness, father love, turning all will’s frustrated fervor to lullaby is a task no man can teach another. Dear God, give the patience of parent love to this house. Let the baby teach this father gentleness. We pull the cart into the lean-too house and together weContinue reading “#56.3, Tues., May 7, 2024”
#56.2, Thurs., May 2, 2024
Historical Setting, 629 C.E. Vosges Mts. I plan to take my son-in-law up to the castle to beg a better bag of seed. He’s not gracious so already my lip is bloodied. The water pitcher is empty and he has no rag for washing up my wound. In another version of justice, I wouldContinue reading “#56.2, Thurs., May 2, 2024”
#56.1, Weds., May 1, 2024
Historical Setting, 629 C.E. Vosges Mts. The castle was built where once there was a hunters’ woods and now around its outer walls are little plots of tillable land. Each tiny field has a little hut on the edge which is the place where the poorest of poor farmers are kept safe from dangersContinue reading “#56.1, Weds., May 1, 2024”
#55.13, Tues., April 30, 2024
Historical Setting, 629 C.E. Vosges We ‘ve tucked Layla away in a safe place hidden from Will, safe with her mother and her sister. Now I’ve come to this little land patch where people try to nurture family despite the poverty. It would all be so simple if Layla could just leave Will andContinue reading “#55.13, Tues., April 30, 2024”
#55.12, Thurs., April 25, 2024
Historical Setting, 629 C.E. Vosges Mts. Like some kind of other-worldly hero or saint, or maybe simple rote righteousness, I let the prayer in my heart be that I could love the ‘enemy’ – the idiot who beats my daughter and who most certainly threatens the life of my unborn grandchild. How can GodContinue reading “#55.12, Thurs., April 25, 2024”
#55.11, Weds., April 24, 2024
Historical Setting, 629 C.E. Vosges Mts. Layla thinks she can solve this by postponing the hurt we all know is coming when she returns to Will and accepts his lying apologies. And that’s not a fix for this. When we can see Layla’s bruises and her crushed spirit this is not just Layla’s problemContinue reading “#55.11, Weds., April 24, 2024”
#55.10, Tues., April 23, 2024
Historical Setting, 629 C.E. Vosges Mts. It is a brutal necessity just now to make a plan and to find a way to keep Layla safe. In fact, if we hide her away, we probably need to chain her to that safe place, because she is so likely to escape and run right backContinue reading “#55.10, Tues., April 23, 2024”
#55.9, Thurs., April 18, 2024
Historical Setting, 629 C.E. Vosges The jagged edges of relationship are gnawing at our whole family just now, and Layla is in danger. I listen to Gaia’s own story and I realize this really isn’t something to put aside or pretend away. I would have thought a blind woman could be shielded for pity’sContinue reading “#55.9, Thurs., April 18, 2024”
Lazarus Ink 