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Progressive Christian

2010-09-08T10:01:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Day Five of Hospice

Last updated on: September 8, 2010 at 10:01 am By Christy Thomas

Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. Today is Wednesday, September 8, Day Five of Hospice. At least I think it is. I have already lost track of days and dates. I am in a state of complete exhaustion. Yesterday, after a really challenging night with mother, I came back to Krum in the middle of the afternoon. How I even made the 50 mile drive is beyond me.... Read more

an ordinary death

death and dying

hospice

2010-09-06T15:10:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

If My Mother Knew, Day Three of Hospice

Last updated on: September 6, 2010 at 3:10 pm By Christy Thomas

Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. If my mother knew what I was doing, she would have my hide. On my previous post about this end of life time with my mother, I noted that I had hit the bonanza when I found a file of letters she had written. This find spurred me to do start digging deeper into her stashes of papers. Stashes, stacks, files, folders,... Read more

an ordinary death

death and dying

hospice

2010-09-05T13:55:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Laughing Through My Tears, Hospice Day One

Last updated on: September 5, 2010 at 1:55 pm By Christy Thomas

Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. I was sitting at my messy desk Friday trying to clean it. My Christian Education Director, Kristi, came in and sympathized with the mess. I told her, “It has always been my mother’s job to have the paperwork mess. As long as she did that, I could stay somewhat organized. But now since her stroke, she’s not fulfilling her part of the... Read more

an ordinary death

death and dying

hospice

2010-09-02T14:47:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Honoring Directives

Last updated on: September 2, 2010 at 2:47 pm By Christy Thomas

Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. It is Thursday afternoon, not quite three weeks since this saga with my mother started when she was found after suffering her series of stokes that felled her. My sister and I are back in the hospital with my mother again. This time, we are at Methodist Richardson, and the experience here stands in stark contrast to the experience at Medical City.... Read more

an ordinary death

death and dying

2010-09-01T14:39:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Reason Number One

Last updated on: September 1, 2010 at 2:39 pm By Christy Thomas

Today, I’ve reached the final excuse that actually sparked the whole series of the top fifteen reasons for avoiding transformational worship gatherings. The other fourteen ranged from complaints about the checkered history of the church to frustration over unclear and divergent doctrines to the personal sense of feeling unworthy, unwelcomed, or unknowledgable about the mysteries of church language and customs. One excuse, “God will understand,” suggests that God doesn’t expect us to live in holiness, but is perfectly happy for... Read more

2017-05-06T08:08:26-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Lost things: Why can’t we have an ordinary death?

Last updated on: May 6, 2017 at 8:08 am By Christy Thomas

I am now back to the questions I asked at the very beginning of this crisis: How does one go about dying in our society? Why can’t we embrace an ordinary death fearlessly? Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. I’ve always had leftover socks. When all my sons were young, just matching socks was a huge weekly chore and I always kept a bag of mismatched ones which... Read more

an ordinary death

death and dying

2010-08-24T21:05:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Excuse Number Two

Last updated on: August 24, 2010 at 9:05 pm By Christy Thomas

Several weeks ago, I watched this year’s induction into the Football Hall of Fame. In almost every case, these exceptional athletes first gave honor to discipline of practicing their faith as a key factor in their athletic success. Clearly, church life had permeated their hearts and minds. Football was their occupation; excellence their goal; but the development of their souls through worship was not discarded or put aside in the process. I was reminded then of a story Jesus told... Read more

2016-09-14T19:48:49-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Loss of a Generation

Last updated on: September 14, 2016 at 7:48 pm By Christy Thomas

Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. Why is this situation with my mother hitting me so hard? For what reason do I find myself in inconsolable tears so much of the time? I am beginning to think that the loss I see happening with her represents to me the loss of a whole generation. A generation of people who actively pursued right; who suffered deprivation, who gave up... Read more

an ordinary death

death and dying

2010-08-21T13:17:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A Brief Respite In the Garden and With Family

Last updated on: August 21, 2010 at 1:17 pm By Christy Thomas

Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. It has been eight days now since my mother was found with her massive and multiple strokes. I spent the first six days with her, although I did start going home at nights. Yesterday, Friday, I just couldn’t go. I needed to get back to work, to get the message ready for Sunday, to meet with my staff who have been at... Read more

an ordinary death

death and dying

2010-08-18T11:48:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Hospitals and other Thoughts, August 18, 2010

Last updated on: August 18, 2010 at 11:48 am By Christy Thomas

Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. In the few hours of sleep I had last night, I kept having dreams that I was facing multiple impossible tasks. There was also some sort of poisonous snake or lizard that infiltrated the bookcases. It would be in plain sight and then hide away again. I woke this morning in despair. I have this sense that by going ahead and arranging... Read more

an ordinary death

death and dying

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