Faith & Living

The Easter Blizzard

jbloustein — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:37:03 -0600

A freak spring blizzard was the last thing I needed that Easter weekend.

Earlier in the year my mother had lost her eyesight after a long battle with an eye disease. She spent weekdays at nearby Carroll Center for the Blind and returned home to Boston each weekend. Sunday evenings I drove her back to the center.

Then she and my husband, Morgan, had a blowup. Mother was unreasonable and Morgan was unforgiving. They hadn’t spoken to each other in months.

Good Friday Day of Prayer

mcherkezian — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:55:13 -0500

Depending on where you live and what faith you practice, Good Friday—also called Great or Holy Friday—may mean fasting, afternoon church services, a street procession or time spent in reflection and contemplation.

Holding on to Faith

jbloustein — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:54:56 -0600

Leogane Plain, Haiti. Tuesday, January 12, 2010, almost 5:00 p.m.

My fourth day in Haiti with the Florida-based outreach group New Missions. We’d been up before sunrise visiting villages, handing out shoeboxes filled with toys, school supplies and other necessities. Now it was almost dinnertime. I sat in the New Missions dining room—a screened-in porch with rows of wooden tables and chairs.

There were about 40 of us on this trip, mostly high school students and some churchgoers from Orlando.

Good Friday Day of Prayer 2009

jbloustein — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:42:00 -0500

Depending on where you live and what faith you practice, Good Friday—also called Great or Holy Friday—may mean fasting, afternoon church services, a street procession, or time spent in reflection and contemplation.

Here at GUIDEPOSTS, Good Friday is a day of prayer. For the past 10 weeks, we have collected prayer requests by mail and phone, and online. On April 10, those prayers “go live,” offered up to the Lord, by more than 2,500 volunteers worldwide.

Revved Up

jbloustein — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:01:01 -0600

I like to try new and exciting things.

And I’ve always prided myself on being as adventurous as my husband, Chris. So when Chris and I bought our Harley, we decided to take our motorcycle license test together. The class met twice a week for two weeks. Sounds easy, right?

Imagine my shock when I got to the first class and found myself absolutely terrified!

A Prayer for Haiti

jbloustein — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:19:48 -0600

When the earthquake in Haiti happened, it was front page news.

When celebrities lined up for a fundraiser, it remained our focus.

But as the days pass, stories of the aftermath get smaller, get relegated to the end of broadcasts or deeper into magazines and newspapers.

The huge problems in Haiti unfortunately won’t go away any time soon. Among the current crises: starvation, orphaned children, displacement, grossly inadequate medical care, rising cases of tuberculosis. Rebuilding is estimated to cost $13 billion.

Swing Shift

mcherkezian — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 14:24:05 -0600

Talk radio blared in my ear. I reached over and hit the snooze button for the third time that morning. Or maybe the fourth.

My husband was working the graveyard shift—midnight to eight—and I didn’t expect him back for another hour. I hadn’t slept well and was desperate for more rest. If only I could adjust to Joe’s new schedule!

Joe works on the Illinois River. He used to be a crane mechanic, a stressful and physically demanding job with a lot of travel and overtime.

Saying Grace

jbloustein — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:02:19 -0600

Healthy Cook Rebecca Katz is a big proponent of saying grace before a meal. She says in addition to connecting with your faith, it actually helps you digest food in a heathy way. Both body and soul are nourished.

Graces are said all over the world. Here are a few you might want to take to your family table.

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The Business Trip

jbloustein — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:02:46 -0500

Up at five o’clock and driving in the rain to the airport, I was nervous about going on this business trip. I got on the plane and edged into my window seat.

Outside, the rain pooled on the corners of the glass. I thought of my sons. They were awake now, watching TV, eating cinnamon-raisin toast. How I wished I were right there beside them, drinking a warm cup of tea.

I opened my book and tried to read, but my mind raced: Rent the car, find the hotel, meetings tomorrow, a presentation then home. The plane took off, and I sighed.

Fireball!

jbloustein — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:51:51 -0600

Every second mattered.

The blaze was less than two miles away, but it seemed like we’d never get there. Our fire squad barreled down the road. The siren screamed. My heart pounded inside my heavy turnout coat.

My job was to lead the charge into the blaze. The other men would follow. They were depending on me to deliver the knockout blow to put out as much of the fire as I could on my own.