“Grace is not part of consciousness;it is the amount of light in our souls, not knowledge nor reason.”- Pope Francis This morning I rise with the sun, put on a blue skirt, sweater and coat, hop on my bike and ride across the bridge for a holy day of obligation: the Feast of the Immaculate … Continue reading Full of Grace, Ohio Part 11
Author: Cressey
Poem: Escape to the Sea
Past dawn, winds rageRain threatens and sunPierces through clouds likeA divine cinematographerInviting the intrepidTo refresh our spiritsAs I walk I taste saltNearing where land endsAnd ocean beginsThe briny scent increasesI am guided by rainbowsI know, it is hardTo believe Refraction, reflectionRefraction againEver increasingIn magnitudeOne rainbow followsAnother from faintTo larger, to darkerI gasp in joy—it wasAlready … Continue reading Poem: Escape to the Sea
Poem: Etched in Stone
Twenty-three years ago, in griefWe etched all of our namesIn stone, imagining no otherOutcome than us, intact foreverIt was the best we could doSince we could not bring him backWe promised his ashes companyOne day, when our time arrived Time, all by itself, has a wayOf changing things, and yetWe played a role, too—we lovedLess … Continue reading Poem: Etched in Stone
Angels, Omega & the Endzone
“Those who sow in tears shall reap in rejoicing.”- Psalm 126:5 For a number of years k-dramas entertained me at the close of day. Today, it’s the show Receivers, and the previous one, Quarterback. Both feature some of the best in the league. Quarterback is brainier than Receivers, which is more elation, more cheers, more … Continue reading Angels, Omega & the Endzone
Valentining
It seems right and fitting to write on Valentine’s Day from New Hope, a town where I celebrated Valentines in 1991—dinner at Hotel du Village—two weeks after getting engaged, senior year in college. If you’ve followed my story at all, you already know this lifetime vow lasted twenty years. After that, many years passed during … Continue reading Valentining
Making Peace
The soul is made of love and must ever strive to return to love.- Mechthild von Magdeburg Reconciliation seems to be a thread running through my life at the moment. When I started going back to church, one of the things I recalled was this sacrament. At my Catholic grammar school, all of us were … Continue reading Making Peace
Vater Schläft*
Within the boneIs marrowWithin my heartIs an old storyWith a new ending Once we wereA family of threeI, the childAnd in our marrowWas faith and trustBut when Dad diedSome of it left with him Mother’s pain and mineServed not to easeBut to sharpen the other’sAs I grew upI did my part to hurtAnd she did … Continue reading Vater Schläft*
Hidden in a Teardrop
One must never let the fire go out in one’s soul,But keep it burning.- Vincent Van Gogh It was the summer before college, and as a graduation present, I was on my way to Caracas to visit a friend, via Miami. But first, my wallet and passport got stolen—an anxiety nightmare that lingers to this … Continue reading Hidden in a Teardrop
I Believe I Believe
‘Here I am. Send me’…‘Be ever hearing but never understanding.Be ever seeing but never perceiving.’ - Isaiah 6:8 She struggles. I pray. If you met G today, you would never know how much she struggles. If you met me, you would never know how hard I pray. It is dawn on Easter Sunday. For the … Continue reading I Believe I Believe
Trigger Warning, Ohio Part 10
TRIGGER WARNING! Today my girl turns 21And as much as I wantTo post the chronologyOf her from infancy,I am honoringBoth her wishAnd her accomplishment:The completion of the firstAnd largest componentOf the sculptureShe has been creatingFor over two years “But I Misunderstood:[6 houses and a porch]”Is part of an ongoing pieceThat includes much moreCalled “Gratified Bulimia” … Continue reading Trigger Warning, Ohio Part 10
Where I End & She Begins 