Author Archives: Boz

Wilderness: Advent Word 12

Posted on December 14, 2017 by Boz

As I began to ponder today’s assignment, I realized that when I think of wilderness, connotation is everything. My husband’s idea of wilderness is the Canadian tundra, hundreds of miles from civilization. The most common Google images contain mountain vistas … Continue reading →

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Voice: Advent Word 11

Posted on December 13, 2017 by Boz

For about six years, I produced a monthly newsletter entitled “The Voice” for the tiny congregation at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church. I included a message from the vicar, parish news with photos, a calendar of birthdays and anniversaries, happenings around … Continue reading →

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Watch: Advent Word 10

Posted on December 12, 2017 by Boz

Etymologically, the word watch has remained fairly consistent since it was introduced into Old English as wæcce. Over these many centuries, the sense has been that of remaining awake for the purposes of vigilance, devotion, or public security. The meaning of “a … Continue reading →

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Messenger: Advent Word 9

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Boz

For the processional hymn yesterday at St. Michael’s, we sang about the last prophet in the Christian tradition, the messenger whose words of repentance we heed each Advent: On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry announces that the Lord is nigh; … Continue reading →

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Prepare: Advent Word 8

Posted on December 10, 2017 by Boz

Music plays an essential rôle in my Advent preparations. Liturgical worship is full of paradoxes, one of which is that we don’t sing Christmas carols as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. This practice of self-denial has become part … Continue reading →

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Focus: Advent Word 7

Posted on December 9, 2017 by Boz

In the spring of 1965, my father entrusted me with his Kodak Brownie camera to take along on our sixth-grade field trip to the Salado Indian cliff dwellings at Tonto National Monument. Photography has been my passion through the ensuing … Continue reading →

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Mend: Advent Word 6

Posted on December 8, 2017 by Boz

Manufacturers of athletic shoes suggest that they be replaced every six months. College students who depend on government-subsidized Pell grants and student loans to support their families rush to the Apple store for an upgrade as soon as Tim Cook … Continue reading →

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Heal: Advent Word 5

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Boz

“Write what you know,” I have often told my English composition students. What I know about healing began when my husband was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the summer of 2010 and continued through two rounds of increasingly toxic chemotherapy … Continue reading →

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Simplify: Advent Word 4

Posted on December 6, 2017 by Boz

The things we want and need are plain and true: To live in peace in a safe, warm home; to eat soup and bread and drink wine; to sleep curled in the arms of one we love; to speak words … Continue reading →

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Gather: Advent Word 3

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Boz

Recounting his efforts to find the Holy Ghost in private prayer, John Donne confessed: I lock my door to myself, and I throw myself down in the presence of my God, I divest myself of all worldly thoughts, and I … Continue reading →

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