Who is writing this stuff anyway? A brief bio and explanation about why I am choosing to write publicly about being Episcopalian and my private faith journey into a practical theology.

Forgotten dreams may seem like an odd beginning, but it feels right for this space and season of my life.

On the day we celebrate Harriet Bedell, a deaconess of the Episcopal Church (TEC), we remember a woman whose quiet courage opened space for dignity, healing, and hope. From Alaska to the Florida Everglades, Bedell lived as though every person bore the image of God. The story of her life invites us to consider where we, too, are being called to walk with faith and trust. This reflection, the first in our 2026 series Stories That Open Space: Women Who Walked Ahead, explores Bedell’s legacy, spiritual practices shaped by her witness, and the gentle beginning of a year that asks us to listen, to show up, and to make room for holy possibility.

In 2026, we are going to spend a year walking with women who widened the world. Each month, Stories That Open the Way will follow women who made space for courage, hope and holy possibility, as well as exploring spiritual practices inspired by their stories that steady the soul, and ground us in faith. It’s a year for women walking their own path, for becoming, and for making space for the story you’re living now.

Today (5 January) the calendar names three Desert Mothers: Sarah, Theodora, and Syncletica. They lived on the edges of fourth‑ and fifth‑century Christian life, practicing prayer, hospitality, and stubborn attention in quiet places. For busy people, their witness is practical: small, reliable habits that protect interior life and make generosity possible.

Over the holidays the diocesan EfM (Education for Ministry) Book Club is reading CHURCH TOMORROW? by Stephanie Spellers. This book is widely based on interviews with “Nones” and “Dones” regarding their faith journey. In preparation for reading and discussing Spellers’ book, I decided to interview myself using her four questions. Here are my answers.

The Church Year and Calendar play significant roles in every liturgical faith tradition. In this essay, we take a closer look at how the Calendar and the seasons of the church year are experienced within the Episcopal Church and through the Book of Common Prayer.