Tag Archives: Anna Bonde

“I kept that promise.”

Posted on July 10, 2017 by

It’s hard to describe what happened to me at the altar during the prayers of the church, yesterday. Typical Lutheran congregations don’t have a shared vocabulary for discussing personal spiritual experiences. Other communities of which I have been a part find it easier to say that God spoke to them. Continue reading →

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Tomorrow

Posted on May 12, 2017 by

Tomorrow would have been my daughter’s 36th birthday. It snuck up in me, busy as I’ve been. But a look at the calendar today, and that number 13 jumped out. Is it really May already? Are we here again? What … Continue reading →

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Thinking in stories

Posted on April 28, 2017 by

We are creatures who think in stories. Confusion and anxiety reign when we can’t figure out the story line. It locates us. It gives meaning to our past, shapes our understanding of the present and gives direction for the future. Continue reading →

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Let us pray for wisdom

Posted on March 18, 2017 by

It’s not possible to remember everything. With time memories slip away. Fragments remain. And the love remains. At least, that’s what should remain. I am heartened by those who turn their sorrow into kindness. I am saddened by those who turn it into bitterness. But I understand, most of us have stood at one time or another at that fork in the road where those two paths diverge Continue reading →

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All lives

Posted on March 16, 2017 by

16 years ago tomorrow my 19 year old daughter and two of her friends were killed by a driver who had been drinking. Though Anna and her friends had been driving responsibly, traveling the speed limit, wearing their seat belts, … Continue reading →

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I just wish that I could hear

Posted on May 12, 2016 by

Tomorrow is Anna’s 35th birthday. Hard to imagine. She is locked forever now at 19. Her smile. Her laugh. Her brilliant eyes. The daisies in her hair, plucked from the wildflowers on her way to school. Her warmth. Her depth of spirit. Her passion for dance and theater and the life of the Spirit. Continue reading →

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Sleepless

Posted on March 16, 2016 by

After teeth had been brushed and a story read, after prayers had been said and goodnight kisses given, I would blow softly into Anna’s ears: once to blow out bad dreams, and then again to blow in good dreams. I … Continue reading →

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East of Eden

Posted on May 13, 2015 by

I can’t let the day go by without acknowledging that this is my daughter’s birthday, though it has been 15 years since I made her a birthday cake. I almost did last night, but I made cookies instead. I remember … Continue reading →

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Kept in Christ

Posted on April 22, 2015 by

As I sit down to write, Robbin Kawabata’s nephew is missing. There are some emotions I can’t imagine. Others I don’t want to imagine. Continue reading →

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On the Eve of St. Patrick’s Day

Posted on March 16, 2015 by

St. Patrick’s Day was one of Anna’s favorite days – though, to be honest, she had a lot of favorite days. Since she was born on the 13th of May, the 13th of any month was her special day – … Continue reading →

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