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Recent Posts
- Psaltery & Lyre’s New Site
- 123 Psaltery & Lyre: “Agricola Dreams of Flying” by J. Rose Lara
- 122 Psaltery & Lyre: “Communion: a love poem (a villanelle)” by Rachel Bollinger
- Book Review: Philip Metres’s Sand Opera
- 121 Psaltery & Lyre: Rachael Matthews, “Horsehead Nebula”
- Book Review: Monica Ong’s Silent Anatomies
- 120 Psaltery & Lyre: Rachael Matthews, “Return, pt. III” and “Gaia”
- Book Review: Claudia Rankine’s Don’t Let Me Be Lonely
- Book Review: Matthea Harvey, If the Tabloids Are True What Are You?
- Book Review: LoterÃa Cards and Fortune Poems: A Book of Lives
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Tag Cloud
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Twelve Lunches Archive
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Encounters: I Wish I Was Still Young
Posted on December 24, 2012 | 2 CommentsShe looked at me again and seemed almost surprised to find me there holding her hand. She thanked me for stopping to talk to her and turned to slowly push away. -
Encounters: Collapsing Inside
Posted on December 17, 2012 | 4 CommentsDriving by the cemetery that day, I happened to look right and saw an older man with unkempt hair sitting on a bench outside a gravestone store across from the cemetery, his head in his hands, his shoulders heaving with sobs. And I zipped by at 65 mph. -
Encounters: I Passed By
Posted on December 5, 2012 | 1 CommentI was enjoying the beautiful evening as I crossed the Maeser quad, and I heard her before I saw her. I had to look around for the source of the wailing sobs, and finally I saw her through the late dusk, standing over near the entrance to the Brimhall building. -
Election Week Musings
Posted on November 2, 2012 | 6 CommentsIf we are supposed to be a Christian nation, as so many claim, let us behave today as Christ would. We are only as strong as our weakest link. Let us strengthen our brethren, as Jesus bade. When we make a feast, let's not invite our friends, kinsmen, or rich neighbors but rather the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind. When they are strong, they will be capable of helping lift up others as well, and cycles will be broken. -
Sunday Takes a Mallet to My Head
Posted on May 4, 2012 | 18 CommentsUsually a very confident person, I avoided their eyes, smiled at their foreheads, and slunk behind the piano. The chorister introduced two visitors and announced that we would be singing a welcome song. I didn't hear her, as my thoughts were too focused on my failure. "Sister," she said sweetly, "we're singing a Welcome Song." -
Chupacabra
Posted on April 19, 2012 | 5 CommentsSometimes, in our pursuit of service, we are asked to do strange things. Today’s guest post from Terry chronicles one such act of service. One night on my mission, my companion and I received a call from the ward mission leader asking for our […] -
So You Think You Can Write LDS Newsroom Press Releases
Posted on March 1, 2012 | 7 CommentsThere's a little known LDS tradition that on Leap Day, ordinary members of the church can write fantasy press releases for the LDS newsroom. Here are some of the ones we've collected from among our friends and neighbors for Leap Day 2012. -
A gift of bread or stones?
Posted on February 23, 2012 | 5 CommentsIf a gift harms someone, is it really a gift? Can we tell the difference between bread and rocks, or do we need to read some parables again? -
Dog Heaven
Posted on January 26, 2012 | 8 Comments. You know how we all imagine that 'dog heaven' will be a place where dogs get to do what dogs like, like ride in cars with their heads hanging out the window or run through meadows chasing balls and sticks? Somehow, 'Mormon heaven' has never sounded like 'Claire heaven' to me. -
Can a Virtual Cupcake Make Me Fat?
Posted on January 19, 2012 | 2 CommentsThe phrase "it takes a village" surfaces a deep longing for living in a time when I might have had a village. Nostalgic thoughts of sharing housework, childcare and my entire day with other "villagers" has always sounded nothing less than divine and impossible. -
Knock and it shall be opened….
Posted on January 13, 2012 | 7 CommentsI've always been intellectually supportive of the mission of Visiting Teaching. Actually making myself do it, or enjoy being on the receiving end- or 'teachee,' as it were- hasn't come as naturally. -
Roller Coaster
Posted on January 5, 2012 | 2 CommentsA year ago, I was living in a daze. I was spending most nights curled up against my 11 year old daughter's back as she lay on her side in her bed, willing her pain to dissipate, even hoping to absorb it myself. -
Santa and I
Posted on December 22, 2011 | 7 CommentsThe year I turned four or five, we drove to my grandparents in central Wisconsin for Christmas. Actually, we did this for most years of my early childhood- until I was 8 or so and we moved to Florida. Making the 1100 mile […] -
Prodigal
Posted on December 8, 2011 | 5 CommentsLast week, at a familiar intersection, the sign a man held up said, "It doesn't take much to be kind." -
Posted on November 24, 2011 | No CommentsI was thinking about my post from last year and thought it might be worth re-running this simple but profound message this year. Wishing all our readers an abundant Thanksgiving. ; ; The fragrance always remains in the hand that gives the rose. […] -
Bonfire of the Vanities
Posted on November 17, 2011 | 7 CommentsThe idea of a bonfire to rid ourselves of vanity sometimes has it's appeal, especially on mornings when I've braided my 12 year old's hair three different ways and she's still not happy with it. I could chuck that hairbrush straight in to the flames. -
The Feast of St. Francis
Posted on November 10, 2011 | 7 CommentsThis year, our family observed General Conference by attending the local Episcopal church. -
Humane Day: Mormonism’s Forgotten Moral Conscience
Posted on November 3, 2011 | 16 CommentsAs we continue Animal Week, today we have a guest post from Claudia. A few years ago, I came across a gem of a little book which I wish would be a standard work in the book collection of any Mormon. Kindness to Animals […] -
Family Ties
Posted on October 27, 2011 | 5 CommentsWhere is the line between serving your family and loosing yourself in it? -
The Peace Project
Posted on October 20, 2011 | 7 CommentsThe Peace Project is meant for peace -- that's it. While most of us disagree with Westboro's actions, we are not a group standing in front of them, yelling counter remarks at them. This project is meant to be a peaceful reminder that as a church, Westboro should be loving and caring, welcoming and forgiving, not angry and spiteful. -
Moral Issues
Posted on October 13, 2011 | 2 CommentsToday on our local NPR affiliate, a local Stake Presidency member was interviewed about the roll-out of the "I'm a Mormon" PR campaign in our metro area. -
Favorites: Business Lunch
Posted on October 6, 2011 | No CommentsI asked a group with an empty chair if I could sit with them. A young man's smile put me at ease and I settled in for lunch. I wasn't sure what to say, but I needn't have worried. -
Assertiveness Training
Posted on September 29, 2011 | 14 CommentsI knew that even small acts of assertiveness would be important. Maybe it didn't change the world but for that individual woman, it was world-changing. -
Finding Peace
Posted on September 22, 2011 | 4 CommentsForgiveness. As babies and young children, we can’t help but forgive those that wrong us. We have no choice…. we are too dependent. But somehow along the path to adulthood (and independence) we lose that. Maybe rightly so- I think there […] -
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren . . .
Posted on September 16, 2011 | 3 CommentsEvery once in a while, I meet someone who is just plain old good. Without guile. My friend Rebecca is one of those people. And so are her kids. Rebecca and her family have a great tradition of family service that she […] -
The Wish Tree
Posted on September 15, 2011 | 1 CommentI had my five year old daughter with me and I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't get her very interested in the bronzes. Then we turned the corner and beheld the Wish Tree. -
Crash Test
Posted on September 1, 2011 | 2 CommentsThe thought of any inexperienced driver in charge of a 4,000 pound machine makes me very nervous, but anticipating my own flesh-and-blood inexperienced driver sends me almost into a panic. -
“The 2011 OB Drink Give-away”
Posted on August 18, 2011 | 19 CommentsI’ve spent almost all my 38 years in Texas or Louisiana, so I’ve weathered some bad summers. The summer of 2011, however, has re-defined “bad summer.” In our area, the last time we had this many 100+ days was in 1980-something. As of August 16, […] -
Window to Utopia
Posted on August 11, 2011 | 6 CommentsWhat would heaven be like, for a teenager? -
The Nursery Window
Posted on August 4, 2011 | 2 Comments"Long ago," he said, "I thought like you that my mother would always keep the window open for me, so I stayed away for moons and moons and moons, and then flew back; but the window was barred, for mother had forgotten all about me, and there was another little boy sleeping in my bed." -
We Are Pioneers
Posted on July 28, 2011 | 4 CommentsAs I was telling my Kindergartner earlier this month that we're all pioneers in some way. Whenever we stand up for what we believe in or do something because we know inside it's a good thing to do, we are pioneers. -
The Gluttonous Baby
Posted on July 21, 2011 | 10 CommentsFor as long as humans have made objects, there have been baby dolls. It’s an almost universal phenomenon that young children play with dolls. Especially if they have younger siblings or see babies being taken care of in their daily life, little […] -
Operation Stop Arm
Posted on July 15, 2011 | 4 CommentsMy neighbor Sheri and I watched motorists pass our children's school bus for years. We took video, called the police, reported tag numbers, complained to the public school department of transportation, pleaded with the PTA for attention to this matter. We were met with "there is nothing we can do" around every single corner. -
Needing it Now and the Eye of the Storm
Posted on July 7, 2011 | 1 CommentAs I watched from my TV with a newborn baby, I was physically ill at the sight of those not able to escape New Orleans as the ravaging effects of Hurricane Katrina flooded their city and threatened their lives. The city was special to me, […] -
Joining the Jesus Freaks
Posted on June 30, 2011 | 1 CommentDo we believe, deep down, that the poor are that way because God wants them to be? -
Proxy Work
Posted on June 23, 2011 | 5 CommentsAs a lone-parent, five-child family on welfare, we were hardly the ideal Mormon family. -
No Soup For You!
Posted on June 16, 2011 | 1 CommentI recently read this article in the Orlando Sentinel reporting on a third round of arrests of activists arrested for violating an ordinance prohibiting the sharing of food with large groups in a city park more than twice a year. The group Food Not […] -
The Parable of the Potato Soup
Posted on June 9, 2011 | 15 CommentsOnce upon a time, a woman in our ward (=church congregation) had a baby. In typical fashion, the women at church mobilized and quickly sent around a list for people to sign up to take a meal over to her family. Kennedy was very excited […] -
Moneybags
Posted on May 26, 2011 | 2 CommentsMoney Memory #1: A few years ago I found $20 in an old canvas purse. I should note that it was my old purse and I had forgotten about the $20 I placed in the front pocket. Still, I was excited. I emailed my family […] -
You Can Recognize Them by Their Hand-Carved Daggers…
Posted on May 19, 2011 | 36 CommentsI love memoirs. And I love Tina Fey. So I was just salivating as my friends and co-bloggers raved about Bossypants when it came out. Finally, on Mother’s Day, I stuffed myself silly on waffles, settled back in my bed, and […] -
Angels with Power Tools
Posted on May 12, 2011 | 9 CommentsWhen you hear the words “Compassionate Service” what comes to mind? This is like one of those word association games- just go with your gut feeling. Macaroni and cheese? Sign up sheets? Relief Society Board Meeting? A calling you hated (or […] -
Park it!
Posted on May 5, 2011 | 3 CommentsChildren can only write so many letters to full-time missionaries. Or out-of-state family members. They can only color so many pictures destined for the walls of the local hospital. They usually need a great deal of supervision during large-scale service projects, at least in my […] -
Twelfth Lunch
Posted on April 28, 2011 | 3 CommentsNovember 11th, 2010 I gave away the last lunch (somehow, the story of the eleventh lunch was never recorded and has been lost to the mists of time). It had taken me 8 months to distribute them all. I was on the phone chatting […] -
Emergency: Lunches 9 and 10
Posted on April 21, 2011 | 1 CommentOn a drizzly day last fall, at the familiar corner near the Carter Center where I gave away the very first lunch, lunches #9 and #10 found homes with two homeless men. One was soliciting while the other laid under a tree nearby appearing […] -
Find Your Tribe
Posted on April 14, 2011 | 4 CommentsOver a decade ago I read this article in Mothering Magazine about a woman who is far from family and friends and meets up with another woman to share household projects and childcare over the course of a day several times a week, alternating households. […] -
Kids and Calamities
Posted on March 31, 2011 | 12 CommentsI watched the Twin Towers fall on TV, my oldest child safely ensconced in her kindergarten class. My toddler was playing with blocks nearby…. building towers and knocking them down. “Mommy, why does your face look like this?” she asked, mimicking my […] -
Parallel Journeys
Posted on March 24, 2011 | 20 CommentsBy Claudia On my personal blog, I am known as “The Faithful Dissident.” For the past three years, I’ve been hiding behind that alias. Afraid of what, I’m not exactly sure, but some of my experiences during the past yearhave made me realize that I’m […] -
“Do you want to end up living under a bridge?”
Posted on March 17, 2011 | 10 CommentsThis is, reportedly, what my daughter’s second grade teacher asked her class during a fit of frustration over their less-than-enthusiastic preparation for the looming standardized testing. Several other parents and I were concerned, but felt trapped in the status quo and didn’t really see […] -
Talents: Addition and Multiplication
Posted on March 10, 2011 | 9 CommentsThis is a guest post from a favorite reader and commenter, Corktree. It may sound simplistic (or just serving of my purpose), but I’ve always read the parable of the talents to mean actual talents. It’s just easy to see how one might be […] -
Celebrating the Man As Well As His Cause
Posted on March 3, 2011 | 13 CommentsA guest post from a reader, Debra. Names matter. They do. My life experience has taught me this. Names are important as they are references — signs – that direct us to meaning, and often to a particular point in time – in history. In […] -
Hate
Posted on February 24, 2011 | 7 CommentsAs an antidote to all the love around here lately, I thought I’d offer up a little bit of good old-fashioned hate. I grew up in a very low key household where strong feelings didn’t really have a place. My typical toddler tantrums were […] -
Business Lunch
Posted on February 17, 2011 | 12 CommentsToday, a guest post from Jacque. I wasn’t driving. My boss had borrowed her husband’s SUV for the day so the four of us could ride together. . .. . .. . .along with all the food. We were a car full; four professional women, […] -
Bearing a Burden
Posted on February 10, 2011 | 6 CommentsIt sounds corny, but by carrying around her belongings (two pairs of sturdy shoes, a box of office supplies, a blanket, and a black garbage bag full of what I assume was clothing) I felt like I was literally bearing her burden, whoever she was. -
Number 8
Posted on February 3, 2011 | 2 CommentsI gave him an out, saying something about maybe he'd already had lunch. "Yeah, thanks anyway, I'm not hungry, I already ate," he said. -
Number 7
Posted on January 20, 2011 | 8 CommentsI caught a glimpse of him opening the bag and then dropping it rather unceremoniously on the ground. He then picked up the sign and again and turned slowly back to the line of cars. -
What The Church is Doing Wrong
Posted on January 13, 2011 | 16 CommentsSomething's better than nothing.... or is it? -
Number Six
Posted on January 6, 2011 | 4 CommentsI encountered the same man at Boulevard and Freedom that I'd given lunch #4 to last week. I felt badly that I'd forgotten to restock and fell into my old pattern of not acknowledging him as he walked by with his sign. -
Possibilities
Posted on December 30, 2010 | 1 CommentToday, my wish is that the New Year unfurl new possibilities- for the blog and its contributors, and for our readers and commenters. -
Memories
Posted on December 16, 2010 | 4 CommentsA grateful resident presented me with a chocolate turkey, wrapped in beautiful multicolored foil. Then she looked around her room, reached over to her bedside table, and handed my brother a mushy brown banana. -
A Christmas Carol
Posted on December 9, 2010 | 5 CommentsAs Marley disappears in a ghostly manner out the window, Scrooge looks out the window as he goes to close it.....