On Sunday I checked out St. Mary’s Episcopal church in Provo. My friend, Michaelann, told me about it. I have long loved its red door and traditional architecture. It’s right across the street from the church Lydia’s homeschool co-op used. I absolutely loved my experience there, and it was so fun to have Abe and the kids join in for the last bit. The church ordained its new priest–a woman!–and I felt like I was breathing oxygen every time I looked to the front and saw women leading the congregation.
At the same time, a lot of the text is still biblical and patriarchal, so I have to translate the pronouns in my head and do some acrobatics to make the wording kind of work for me right now. But I loved the community and will definitely visit this church again.
We took it really easy in the afternoon. We had braised brisket, lentil salad, squash, and peach cobbler for dinner. Abe started a great family discussion from Come Follow Me, and Lydia told us how she deals with gossip. She will say something nice about the person being talked about or just say, “Let’s change the subject!” That warmed my heart.
And she also told us one of her biggest fears is being different from everyone else. I feel so much respect for that girl’s propensity to introspect. Ever since she could talk, she has been able to tell us when and why she feels jealousy, fear, anger, joy, delight, or emotion of any kind. It’s amazing.
After that discussion, Clarissa threw a tantrum (she threw tantrums all day long) and we let the kids melt their brains to puddles in front of the television while the adults worked on a puzzle. It took us about three hours, but Abe and I finished it by 10:30.
