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LIFE & LIVING
A good story can change the way you see the world!
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stephanieraffelock
Nov 15, 20153 min read
The Long Road to Mother
Kitty and I met when we were twenty. I can’t tell you exactly how–something to do with a party at the naked lady magazine she worked for,...
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stephanieraffelock
Oct 18, 20152 min read
The Very Last Day of Summer
And it did. The rains came on the heels of a hot, smoky, too dry summer that had over stayed her welcome. And with the rains came the...
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stephanieraffelock
Sep 29, 20152 min read
The Last Belgium Blog
My retreat partner Susan and I in Luven, with a statue of a Beguine. It is the work of women to balance the world, to know their strength...
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stephanieraffelock
Sep 24, 20153 min read
The Heart of the Beguines
Cathedral at Ghent The word “cathedral” means “the throne upon which she sits.” In 15th century Northern Europe, there was a worshipful...
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stephanieraffelock
Sep 20, 20152 min read
Delights and Deliverance
Our group goes to the Minnenhauf. It means “house of love.” We meet Sister Felicitous, who tells us about the women from whose...
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stephanieraffelock
Sep 17, 20153 min read
Blogging on the Way to the Plane
With the advent of each autumn since, I have planned a retreat. Just before I moved from Colorado to Oregon, I found myself sitting in...
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stephanieraffelock
Sep 9, 20154 min read
And Then I Blogged Through Belgium
Thus far, my sixties have been the most exciting and fun part of my life. I never believed I would say that a few years ago. Sixty is,...
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stephanieraffelock
Aug 25, 20152 min read
Pro-Planet and Words that Have Power
Climate change is not a possibility up the road. We are living in climate change. If you are a denier and want to get up in my face about...
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stephanieraffelock
Aug 10, 20153 min read
We Are All Connected By Our Stories
Writers are a quirky lot. We spend a lot of time in our introverted creative bubbles, so when we do venture out, it’s kind of a party....
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stephanieraffelock
Jun 27, 20153 min read
Change and the Hope of Possibility
In recent years, I have grown cynical. Never in my lifetime have I seen a President of the United States treated with such disrespect, a...
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stephanieraffelock
Feb 26, 20153 min read
The Baby Plane
Looks innocent enough, right? Picture this: late evening and you’ve been traveling since noon, east coast time, headed for the west...
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stephanieraffelock
Feb 15, 20154 min read
It Was The Cardinals That Got Me Going
This year a group of Catholic cardinals will meet to discuss women. There will be no women present for the discussion, though a report...
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stephanieraffelock
Sep 29, 20142 min read
Autumn Apple Butter
One of my favorite autumn rituals over many years past has been baking apples. That has to be one of the all time great smells that can...
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stephanieraffelock
Sep 15, 20149 min read
Finding Eva
Stories are kept for us in the wind. Let its silky fingers wrap around you, and take you to the place that your heart aches to know, even...
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stephanieraffelock
Sep 9, 20142 min read
Cups in the Morning Sun
There are several places to work, and the room is conducive to play and creation for a few people as opposed to solitary endeavor. In...
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stephanieraffelock
Sep 7, 20148 min read
The Story I Know By Heart
(This essay is dedicated to my curious nieces, who are also a part of the story I know by heart…) The Beguines existed for less than a...
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stephanieraffelock
Sep 4, 20142 min read
September Porches and Pumpkin Muffins
Yesterday, I created the September porch–also a yearly ritual. I planted mums and put out my artificial pumpkins. With so many...
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stephanieraffelock
Jul 27, 20144 min read
Is Age Just A Number?
The impervious feeling of youth is a delicious drunk of newness and firsts: first apartment, first true love, first heartbreak; the...
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stephanieraffelock
Jul 2, 20144 min read
Those Crazy Making Tickets – A Short Tale
She was in court today because she had not paid a couple of parking tickets. Why such a big fuss? When the policeman pulled her over it...
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stephanieraffelock
Jul 1, 20144 min read
My Corporation Is A Person!
But life is precious. Life is sacred, right? I agree with that. Still, the emotional, spiritual and financial cost of unwanted children...
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