Bound by Mercy
We walked arm in arm, talking about our mothers. I was in Kenya, reunited with my dear friend Mary after not seeing her for three years. Although we had been separated by thousands of miles, we were bound by mercy. Mary’s mum had died from a brain tumor just a few months earlier. My mama […]
Merry Christmas and Always Mercy
This time of year in Northern California, the days have grown shorter. Darkness descends early and lingers longer. The winter sun is weak, its slanted light creates gauzy shadows through the barren trees. Forgotten is the fierce noonday sun of summer when the light was too intense to behold. On this last Sunday of Advent, […]
Bringing Hope. Offering Mercy. Concert video
Thank you to all who attended the December 29, 2023, Holiday Brass, Kenya Benefit Concert. It was a magical evening with magnificent music. AND thanks to you, we raised $24,500! For those who were unable to attend, we are delighted to share this concert recording with you. We pray you are richly blessed by the […]
Epiphany benefit concert
This post is written by a good friend of mine, Kathy Barger, writer, poet and musician. She has captured the beauty of the Epiphany benefit concert and I hope you are as touched by it as I am. Pamela The word GRACE has been in my vocabulary for several weeks now and my brain has […]
Converging
Sometimes by looking back, we see how things converge and come together. A dozen years ago I was finding my way, blending my vocation as an RN with a new vocation as a deaconess. That very year, 2012, I was introduced to two very different people who, unbeknownst to me (and to them), would be […]
Mercy at Home
Dear Friends, It’s not just the cold and stormy weather here in Northern California that makes me long for the warmth and sun of Kenya; no, it’s much more than that. I just received a letter from Pastor David Chuchu and the team at Rehema Hospice and Clinic describing the mercy work that now extends […]
Remember your mercy, O LORD
Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your chesed, for they have been from of old. Psalm 25:6 Recently, on two separate occasions, I’ve come across the Hebrew word, Chesed (pronounced: hess-Ed). Chesed–it is a difficult word to encapsulate. It’s big and roomy with lots of space. It’s often translated as “unfailing love, steadfast love, mercy, […]
Love’s Immensity
Fra Angelico, OP, 1395-1455 Dear Friends, The Lenten journey is one of Love, marked by the shifting shadows of the Cross. In the midst of this season emerges not only spring, but the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25) where the angel Gabriel comes to Mary, an ordinary young woman, with words of mystery and […]
Taking Care of Body and Soul
Deaconesses Pamela, Mary, Callen visiting Virginia in the slums of Kawangware Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty. Mother Teresa There was a time, about 15 years ago, when I set my heart on traveling to Calcutta, India, to visit the hospice established by the now sainted Mother Teresa and […]
As Seasons Change
Mother’s Day 2024 The quiet of early mornings will find me sitting in my study overlooking a portion of my backyard, now painted in springtime green. Often I’m accompanied by the faint rumble of traffic, the familiar sound of the washing machine down the hall, and always, a cup of strong coffee with milk by […]