A Changing Season. A Changing Me.

Today is the autumnal equinox, a day of symmetry, equal parts day and night. Many people spend the day giving thanks for the abundance in their lives, celebrating the harvest, even giving back to those less fortunate. Me? I’ve spent the morning in my Bible Lit class, where I’ve found I’m not as isolated as originally expected.

My Ultimate Authority... Lessons Learned from Sue Monk Kidd

To write what I learned from Sue Monk Kidd's The Dance of the Dissident Daughter would be another book in itself. Period. But here are the highlights, the select few that are not necessarily the most important wisdom I came away with, but ones I think are the easiest to express here and now.

Vagina vs. Toodie: When Do I Update My Daughter's Vocabulary?

Vagina.

That’s right -- Vagina. I receive weekly email updates about timely news information. For instance, the past few weeks have detailed the events surrounding the 10-year anniversary of Sept. 11. But last week I was a bit shocked to find the headline: "THE WORD ON EVERYBODY'S LIPS IS 'VAGINA.’"

It’s not that I was offended -- very little offends me. I just found it odd this was ‘timely news information.’

(Music Review) Break Me Out by The Rescues

I've been in love with The Rescues since my husband discovered them this past spring. He bought the cd at Best Buy, forced me to listen to this song, and I was hooked. I must've listened to the cd at least a dozen times in the next week; over and over as I drove the 26 minutes to school in the mornings and the 26 minutes home in the afternoons.

The album is terrific. The group consists of two men, two women, and their harmonies remind me of youth choir -- which made my husband groan when I described it in those terms. They've got a pop-music feel -- which made my brother groan and say, "that's not my type of music."

But I love them. And I particularly love "Break Me Out."

"Diving into the Wreck" by Adrienne Rich

I came across Adrienne Rich this past weekend and was so moved I thought I'd share this today.

Lunching with Joshilyn Jackson & What She Didn't Teach Me

So yes, yes. I lunched with Joshilyn Jackson on Friday. [Brush my shoulder, toss my hair, look smug]

This I Believe about "This I Believe"

This I Believe is a New York Times bestseller featuring 80 essayists (60 from the NPR series and 20 from the 1950s series) sharing their most deeply held beliefs. Contributors include Isabel Allende, Gloria Steinem, John McCain, Bill Gates, Penn Jillette, and John Updike.

This I Believe awed me. Or more specifically, its contributors awed me. To communicate a deeply-held belief in 500 words or less is a daunting task. We all know how hard it is for me to write blogs that concise, and none of mine come close to conveying a profound belief.

Now I've Gone & Said "Ifs, Ands, or Buts." Who Am I?

We took our 4-year-old daughter to watch our city's local fireworks Monday night. It was her first time to see fireworks and I was almost as excited as she was about sharing such a special moment. I loved fireworks as a child; heck, I still do.

So we arrive at our viewing point, the local community college. We find a spot on the concrete stairs. We'd have preferred the grass but earlier it'd rained just enough. Another family with a little boy was seated a few steps above, and he and Shannon struck up a conversation almost immediately. Within minutes they bonded over their overprotective parents, both of whom kept telling them to stop swinging on the railing. This kept her entertained since we'd arrived about 20 minutes early, which was all well and good. Until I told her she needed to come sit with us since the fireworks were about to start.

To which she replied with an emphatic stomp and a stubborn, "No, Mom. I wanna sit with my friend."