Growing up, I lived on a street that had churches on three of the four corners. There was the Methodist Church, the Ripley Congregational Church, and the Presbyterian Church. Our house we pretty much dead center between all three.

My Mom was a pretty strict Catholic. I’m not sure why, but going to other church services was never encouraged. I remember wondering if “the Church” was afraid if we went to another church we would want to stop being a Catholic? I mean, did we have a choice?

In my little section of the world(quite literally), I had a unique way to learn about other Christian religions. The ministers of two of the three churches had kids who were my age. Over the years, I  had the opportunity to meet three different families. The added bonus–all of them had girls. Spread across my early childhood years were my friends Angie, Ellen, and Joyce.

My lessons were learned from a real-life, everyday perspective. I saw each family interact with each other in real-time. A heads-up for all you adults out there. Adults don’t always see kids nor do they realize how observant kids are. Nor do adults appreciate how well kids hear, not only the words said, but the tone of voice used to express them.  These things create a problem. That problem lies in the fact that what kids lack in understanding they make up for in their ability to absorb emotions. In my own life and in sharing the family lives of my friends, preacher’s kid or not, I learned that God is an equal opportunity distributor of crap.

Where does all this lead me? It made me a seeker. It made me want to learn about other belief systems and learn what their teachers have to teach me. Not just religious beliefs but what does each teacher say about our souls–our spirituality.

I have been blessed with wonderful mentors and great teachers over the years. One of my favorite teachers struggled to teach me about his Jewish faith. At the time, I was just not ready. Now I am.

This week marks the beginning of Rosh Hashana. There is a lot to learn about this high holiday. I’ll share some of what I’ve found tomorrow.

I am…

B…simply being…

Love and Peace, Y’all.









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