By Denise, 1990s “God is a righteous judge who expresses his wrath every day. If he does not relent he will sharpen his sword, he will bend and straighten his bow. He has prepared deadly weapons he makes ready his flaming arrows.” Psalm 7 I used to take great offense at Old Testament readings that […]
Category: Denise’s writing – Essays and poems
Essays, poems, and more written by Denise
Justice: Is it Un-American?
Denise ~1992 Resurrection Farm newsletter Meghan McKenna, in her tapes on justice in the Bible redefines it for us. God’s justice is that everyone gets what they deserve. And everyone, being a child of God, a creation of the Almighty, a beloved of the Creator, deserves life, a full life, a life of being valued […]
Why I didn’t become a nuclear physicist
Denise, 2007 When I was a junior in high school, in 1959, I got a 99 in the standardized test for biology. I was very pleased with myself and toyed with the idea of becoming a scientist. Nuclear Physics sounded good, although most of what I knew of it came from science fiction movies and […]
Magoo: a Dog Story
Denise, 2004 We wanted a small dog, a Benji, a pupnot a hulking Heinz 57 like you. Sad, nearsighted Doberman mix,sitting in the cornerlike a chastised child. “She shakes hands.”The woman said.And you did, raising a black and tan paw.And we fell madly in love with your lop-eared faceand decidedly goofy demeanor. You moved right […]
Excuses for Death
Denise, ~1994 “Did you hear that Ralph had a heart attack?” he said. “Oh, no,” she answered. “But, he was a workaholic.” “Right. And he smoked two packs a day.” Why do we do that? Why do we blame the victim instead of the deadly thing that has hold of him? Why do we, in […]
The Tapeworm
Denise, ~1990 My grandmother had a thing about tapeworms. She used to tell this story about a relative of hers who had a tapeworm. This relative was told the way to get rid of the worm was to stop eating and the worm would starve to death. She did stop eating for several days and […]
Questions for God when I see him
Denise, 2016 How come this one dies and that one survives? How come the hurricane hits that place and not the other one? Why do some people do terrible things and congratulate themselves after, And other people suffer lifelong guilt over a hurtful word? And why, in the name of all that is holy, the […]
Resistance
Denise, Resurrection Farm Newsletter, 1994 Is there a link between doing direct service for individuals and taking a public stand in the name of Justice? Is our well being linked to that of the poor, the marginalized and despised? I think so. Our own freedom to be ourselves, to follow the Gospel according to our […]
In search of an Irish grandfather
The Baltimore Sun published Denise’s story about our first trip to Ireland.
Immutable Mom
Denise, 2005 My daughter looks at me, then quickly away. What she has seen is too alarming. I am not who she thought I was. Immutable Mom, the hush-er, jailer, ”No you can’t,” oppressor of youthful inclinations, is fading from view. What she is seeing in those sideways glances is a person not unlike herself: […]