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Smith reflects on what faith means in difficult times and on her new novel, Kat’s Dreams.

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Present Help: On Thinking of God at an Angle

What do you hold onto? Where do you land when you fall? I’ve noticed more and more how images of God’s presence that once spoke to me will empty out over time. New ways of thinking and feeling take their place. Even the most meaningful language can wear out with use, after all, and we ourselves experience the world differently as our lives shift and change. I suspect…

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Mourning, Longing, and Other Sacred Acts

What happens inside as you mourn? Where does mourning take you? I’m guessing a lot of us have much, much more familiarity with mourning since 2020. We’ve lost things. We’ve lost people. As I, myself, have mourned, I’ve felt longing winding itself through that sense of loss. I long for people, I long for ways I experienced the world, I long for what I remember and/or for what…

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On Getting Our Energy Back: Reflections for Mental Health Month

“Many of us seem low on energy,” began my church’s newsletter article. “The past several years have taken a toll,” the article said. I paused. The stresses and strains of recent years may go without saying, but I feel glad whenever someone does say how strange and exhausting life can still feel. I saw a recent article on the Mayo Clinic Health System site noting “a major increase in the number of adults…

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