Writing, Parenting, and Working in the Mess: Authentic Spirituality and Social Justice

I have gotten into the bad habit of reading old e-mails and/or surfing the web after S. goes to bed. I had planned for the one or two hours between my bedtime and hers to be my writing time—at least, when I didn’t have extra work that needed to get done. I haven't sent anything out for publication in over a year, and I’ve yet to return to the novel-in-progress--but I am finally writing poetry again, which feels good. Anyway, I digress... Tonight was a web-surfing night—I couldn’t get my head clear enough to write, partly because my daughter refused to go to bed until she'd talked to her boyfriend. The house has thin walls, and I confess I have a hard time tuning out her phone conversations. So, although I tried to surf the web, really I ended up listening to one of many conversations that are always part heartbreaking, part hilarious, and part frustrating. For instance, today’s went like this: P! Are you listening? P! What kind of wedding do you want, formal or semi-formal...

It was April 2002, the last day of GLBT Pride week at the college where I teach. We gathered as usual for a celebration potluck at the home of my friend, who co-advises the GLBTA organization. We were tired but joyful--proud of the excellent work the students had done to bring nationally-known speakers and performers to campus. As twilight began to fall, the students left in small groups, planning their weekends. I remember telling them to be safe and, jokingly, saying “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” “That shouldn’t restrict us to too much,” one of them joked back. I have a picture in my mind of us sitting in that circle; I can still hear the deep laughter of one of the co-chairs, Jen, and see another member, Dustin, running his fingers through his hair as he paused dramatically during a funny story. In this picture, they are innocent, untouched by anything hateful or harmful, proud of who they are, and safe. I can see the big prairie sky turning from blue to pink to blue-...