Friendship “A FRIEND is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one’s heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentle hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.” George Eliot Mary Anne Evans (November 22 1819 to December 22 1880) was known by her “pen name” George Eliot.   She was an English writer and poet.   Unlike other women writers of the Victorian era, Mary decided to use a pen name to move from the stereotype of women limited to writing romance novels; having her fictional writing judged separately from being a well-known editor and critic; and, shields her private life from possible scandal seeing a married man. I am a collector of little plaques that have quotes about friendships written on them.   The quote above was inscribed on a tiny wooden one that hung from a wall in my living room.   I bought the plaque a long time ago at a flea market spons...

PENTECOST I am wearing red today and there is a reason as to why I do.   I wonder how many are aware of what today, Sunday represents. If you are Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, American Baptist, Methodist, or African Methodist Episcopalian you might be familiar with the Church Calendar and know what today is - Pentecost Sunday.   Pentecost Sunday is a “memorial,” a significant reminder to the people of faith that on this day, over two thousand years ago the gift of the Holy Spirit descended like “tongues of fire” upon the disciples gathered in Jerusalem in an upper room and they began speaking in tongues (other languages).   The writer of the book of the Acts of the Apostles tells of this event in chapter 2: 1-12.   The writer, Luke describes this event and the reaction of the people present on that day.   The people of Jerusalem including Jews from other countries that made their pilgrim journey to Jerusalem for Pentecost heard the d...