JulieLeung.com: a life told in tidepools

SYLLABICATION: re·li·gion
PRONUNCIATION: r-ljn
NOUN: 1a. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
b. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
2. The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
3. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of [...]

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God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
- Serenity Prayer
As a child I would see this serenity prayer engraved on plaques and hung in homes, not at ours, but at others. It seemed a strange prayer to [...]

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Last week Paul Beard described a conversation he had with another parent about raising kids with religion:

If your memories of churchgoing are not ones you’d like to repeat or visit on your own kids, how to choose a faith that fits?

Rayne talked with her daughter about religion

Until the rules and the reasons behind them — [...]

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What is the purpose of Christmas?
1. Is it a religious holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus?
2. Is it a reason to enjoy winter festivities, foods and fun?
3. Is it a time to gather together and build family traditions, culture and memories?
I ask these questions because each year I wrestle with the purpose of this [...]

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Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie [...]

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When I see a small child with a large bandage on her face, I feel vulnerable, as if I were the one wounded. Especially if the child is my daughter.
Twice now Ted and I have taken a daughter to the ER. Abigail’s trip happened before her fourth birthday. Michaela’s turn happened Wednesday while we were [...]

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Last Thursday I lost it. Or I came close to losing it. And as I was losing, I was finding…
Ted was in Portland at OSCON. Abigail was ill with a fever but we had made reservations and spent money for the weekend in Astoria already. Also Ted was depending on us for his ride home [...]

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Sunday morning, our friends told us the story of Christian, an energetic young man they knew who drowned last week in an Everett swimming pool. As they described their thoughts and feelings from the week, our friends said

We will never have enough time with family in this life.
When someone you know, or even a friend [...]

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Tuesday night as I went to bed, it was raining. Thick gray sheets from the sky, so hard and heavy I thought it was flooding. I thought about an ark and imagined myself beneath the covers seeking shelter from the storm. Snuggling in a safe place.
I went to sleep thinking about Noah. Thinking about his [...]

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Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:12

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