Esther Benedict Esther Benedict

Keeping the Fast

In Medieval times, Lent was a season of strict fasting. During Lent, no animal products of any types were to be consumed, except on Sundays.

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Esther Benedict Esther Benedict

2022 - The year of the Chicken

We had been discussing getting chickens since our little dog died in the first year of the pandemic. I started looking and chicken coop plans, trying to find something that would fit in the space we had in our suburban backyard. It was all a little overwhelming for a couple that is better at software than hardware (me - fiber, yarn, fabric; him - computer).

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Esther Benedict Esther Benedict

Free to weave…

I am fortunate to be able to weave. And sew, and spin, and garden, and cook. I am fortunate to do all these things I love, because if I had been born a generation earlier it wouldn’t have been possible.

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Esther Benedict Esther Benedict

Dyeing for days

I’ve been dyeing of for days in search of the perfect gradient rainbow for my next weaving project.

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Esther Benedict Esther Benedict

“Pharaoh harden his heart”

“Pharaoh hardened his heart.” Those are the words that I woke up thinking today.

Sure, when the plague hits it’s all “pray to the Lord for me, Moses.” And Moses does. And things get better for a while. Then it’s “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.” Again.

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Esther Benedict Esther Benedict

The news - again

I haven’t said anything about the shooting in Buffalo, or the church in Orange County, or any of the mass shootings last week that didn’t seam to make it into the national news. Not just haven’t said anything on social media. I haven’t said anything at all. Because anything I tried to say would come out as a scream. I am struck dumb - I have no words.

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Esther Benedict Esther Benedict

Just a taste….

“Are you looking for a new hobby?” the Sponsored Post in Instagram asked. The picture showed a group of smiling 30-something blond women. They were gathered around a table filled with crafting supplies, ready to dig in.

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Esther Benedict Esther Benedict

Receiving and Blessing

I was working in long term disaster recovery following one of our local wildfires, on an intake call with a fire survivor, an older woman who had lost her home and everything in it in the fire. The intake call was meant to find out the basics of her situation and then refer her to one of our Disaster Case Managers. In this case, however…

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Esther Benedict Esther Benedict

The Anthropology of Forgiveness

In my last post, we looked at the concepts of justice and mercy from an anthropological perspective using a highly simplified example featuring a fictional group called…

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Esther Benedict Esther Benedict

Thoughts on justice and mercy

I have been thinking a lot lately about justice and mercy. I promise to get back to weaving soon, but for now I am weaving with words.

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Esther Benedict Esther Benedict

Why not both?

There are patterns in the music I listen to as I weave. When I weave purple for Lent or Advent, I tend to listen to…

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Esther Benedict Esther Benedict

All the shiny

Shiny is an interesting word. It can mean a distraction “oh look – shiny!” Or it can be something that glitters, but without substance of its own. But in its purest sense, without judgment, it is simply reflecting light.

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Esther Benedict Esther Benedict

Zoom Communion

Gathering and sharing to mark occasions is something all humans in all places and times do and have done. We gather to mark births, coming of age, marriage, births again, and eventually death. We gather in such ways as we are able.

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