Category: Religion

Death

I have been thinking about death quite a bit lately.  Seems to be all around me.  As I push on, I try to think about happier things. Today's thought was how cool it will be if there really is a Heaven.  Of course, seeing my Dad again would be great.  And it would be totally... Continue Reading →

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Am I just being paranoid?

Yesterday, as part of a day full of various "events" in a smallish group setting, I heard a female Imam speak.  It followed prayers, as last evening was a Muslim holy day. I couldn't see her directly, and eventually left the room since I couldn't understand what she was saying.  She appeared to be very... Continue Reading →

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May 19th – Controversy Over a Turkish Celebration

May 19th is an official holiday in Turkey.  No, they don't celebrate Malcolm X's birthday!  The date is officially dubbed, "Youth and Sports Day." More importantly, May 19th is the day that  Mustafa Kemal (a.k.a. Atatürk, founding father of modern Turkey) landed at Samsun, which is regarded as the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence. This year's celebration... Continue Reading →

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Photo of the Day

Having a million siblings means I have about a billion nieces and nephews. Actually, there's only 29.  (And almost as many great nieces and nephews.)  The eldest is 44 and the youngest is in the second grade. Yesterday, the youngest made her First Holy Communion. What a big girl and a beauty!  Congratulations to you... Continue Reading →

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Easter in Ankara

I apologize for the misleading title.  There is no Easter in Ankara this year, at least, not for me.  Naturally, there is little celebration of this Christian holiday in a Muslim country.  This morning, after wishing my cat a Happy Easter, I got out of bed and checked Facebook. I found photos by "friends" in... Continue Reading →

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Easter and the Abuse of Children

Easter is coming.  In addition to thinking about how I will spend the day (or days) and what I will cook, today I began to think about how I used to celebrate the death and rising again of Christ. During the weeks leading up to Easter in my early school days, we would go to... Continue Reading →

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On Being Gay in Turkey

No, I'm not gay.  Although I do have a former neighbor who might argue that point.  Lot's of my friends are black, I mean gay.  I have to laugh here.  I have heard so many times over the years, upon an acquaintance discovering I am part African-America, the same sentence, "Lots of my friends are... Continue Reading →

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Kurban Bayram

Today is the eve of Kurban Bayram (Eid al-Adha), another Turkish holiday.  It begins on Sunday and ends Wednesday.  It's another one of the Muslim "biggies".  The date of the holiday changes from year to year according to the Islamic calendar. I have mixed feelings about this holiday.  The good side is that everyone has a... Continue Reading →

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Remembering Ephesus

If you are Catholic and practiced at one time, it is hard to forget St. Paul's letters to the Ephesians.  You may forget the text, you may even forget who wrote them, but that name, "the Ephesians,"  is somehow stamped on our brains.  Most likely, it was because we heard the term "Ephesian" so many... Continue Reading →

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The Power of Being a Free Woman

Up to 70 percent of all Turkish women are abused by their spouses.  Physically, sexually, emotionally, or financially.  Wow.  Look around you, folks.  That's a lot of women. I remember the looks I got from some "friends" in the States when I decided to marry.  It was as if I had let them down.  Of... Continue Reading →

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