Monthly Archives: August 2019

Thirst

Posted on August 23, 2019 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Start with the thirst the deep well you have been forgetting, ancient and ready to be soaked without shame the well your grandmothers dug for you the reservoir carved and cared for by the people your ancestors betrayed your thirst … Continue reading →

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Weeds, a Sabbatical Story

Posted on August 17, 2019 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

I know it sounds naive, but I swear at the start, I thought it was a one-time thing. Granted, they were everywhere, so I knew it wasn’t going to be simple, or short term. But, still, I thought if I … Continue reading →

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Reunion, a Sabbatical Story

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

What does it mean to meet again? After months, or years, or decades, to encounter another that we have not seen, or kept fully in touch with, especially one we once knew well, one we were close to, who knew … Continue reading →

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Shows, a Sabbatical Story

Posted on August 11, 2019 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

I trace my love affair with TV to Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd. Moonlighting ran from when I was 10 to 14, a time when I had a super small TV in my bedroom.  Before I even knew it was … Continue reading →

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Poetry, a Sabbatical Story

Posted on August 9, 2019 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

“Perhaps the earth can teach us as when everything seems dead and later proves to be alive.” -Pablo Neruda I’ve always loved writing – especially poetry – which I started experimenting with in middle school when all things feel like … Continue reading →

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Summer Fruit

Posted on August 8, 2019 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Last night I watched my daughter sleep with her hands raised over her head, she filled the bed with her body, teenaged, and fearlessly unfurled – I saw her infant arms, surrendered similarly, and the prayers in my mouth, habits … Continue reading →

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Shallots, a Sabbatical Story

Posted on August 7, 2019 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

At a certain point in the summer, I realized that I’d peeled, and sliced, and cooked up more shallots in the past few months than I’d probably cooked in my whole life.  Shallots are, I decided, one funny but true … Continue reading →

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Telling the Stories of Sabbatical

Posted on August 6, 2019 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

I’m nearing the end of my nearly-15 week sabbatical. My first, after 7 years serving Foothills through major transitions, occasional upheaval, a big surge in (numerical, organizational, spiritual) growth, and the election of 2016 (aka liberal existenstial crisis). All of … Continue reading →

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