...a word from Kathy

St. James Episcopal Church, Florence Italy " M ama, do you love me more or Nick more?  Oh, honey I love you both the same!  Yes, but Nick gets in trouble, disobeys you, acts out and doesn't play with me!  Surely you love me more." Have you had a similar conversation in your house?  Have your children ever asked you to choose?  Surely I'm not the only parent who has experienced this inquisition by a youngster. Maybe we search our whole lives to be the 'chosen one', the child loved most in the family.  We all desire that special spot. With Jesus, was it Mary he loved the most?  Was it Peter?  Or was it Judas? This Easter we attended St. James Episcopal Church in Florence, Italy.  We were enthralled by the space and then by the people who attended.  Multiple countries were represented: Switzerland, Nigeria, England, South Africa, Italy and the US.   During worship we heard behind us the most amazing voice loudly singing, ...

A s I sit in the Piazza della Repubblica,  I am distracted.  We're visiting Florence, Italy this week which is endless in its beauty.  This place is also endless in grand masterpieces and grand cathedrals that point to the Glory of God.  Centuries old architecture, frescos, paintings and sculptures all celebrating the news of God's nearness to us.  But even in this enormous center of Christian culture, I'm distracted. At this very moment, this is what I see: a woman taking selfies; a couple kissing in the middle of the piazza; a guy riding his bike home from work; tourists congregating; a mom and daughter, holding hands and scurrying; a couple an infant and with a baby stroller; a horse drawn carriage tour; and on and on... I wondered to myself about this distraction and why I couldn't get my mind together to write. So, I thought about what Jesus was doing on the week before the first Easter.  Do you know?  I didn't! We know about Palm ...