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Ruth Everhart

Author, Pastor, Speaker

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Spiritual Reflection

Holy Cross Abbey Guesthouse Silence

October 5, 2020

Even Silence Is Different During this Pandemic

Later today I'm headed to Holy Cross Abbey for a week of silence. The guesthouse closed to the public in March and reopened at half capacity just two weeks ago -- so I'm taking a silent retreat originally scheduled for late April. I began doing monastic retreats in 2004 so they're part of my … [Read more...] about Even Silence Is Different During this Pandemic

Silence at a Monastery,  Words & Writing silence

April 21, 2020

What Language Can I Borrow?

A very personal essay about mothers and mortality. How can we celebrate Eastertide during a time of COVID-19? In the May 5, 2020 print edition of Christian Century, online here. … [Read more...] about What Language Can I Borrow?

Grief & Grieving,  Published in Christian Century pandemic

April 11, 2020

Like the First Easter

Content Warning: Stillbirth Yesterday was Good Friday. Instead of working on a sermon or reading scripture to follow Jesus along the Via Dolorosa, I spent hours on the phone with my elderly mother, trying to help her master Zoom technology. The hours felt as sacred as any Good Friday … [Read more...] about Like the First Easter

Grief & Grieving,  Lent/Easter coronavirus,  Covid-19,  Easter,  Good Friday,  Holy Saturday,  stillbirth,  Triduum

preaching on Lazarus during the pandemic

March 29, 2020

UNBOUND, a sermon on the raising of Lazarus, John 11:1-45

… [Read more...] about UNBOUND, a sermon on the raising of Lazarus, John 11:1-45

Grief & Grieving Jesus raises Lazarus,  John 11:1-45,  Lazarus,  Mary and Martha,  preaching during the time of coronavirus,  Presbyterian pastor,  sermons for the pandemic

January 4, 2018

Why I Quit Drinking

Drinking has changed. In the late 1970s when I was in college, my friends and I drank cheap beer which we bought by the pitcher and shared. We rarely drank wine, other than an occasional bottle of sangria, which we repurposed as a candleholder when it was empty. Wine was for rich, old people who … [Read more...] about Why I Quit Drinking

Finding Happiness abstention,  alcoholics anonymous,  alcoholism,  deprivation,  drinking,  Mad Men,  the perfect martini

August 17, 2017

Why I Quit Caffeine

I come from a long line of coffee-drinkers. My parents drank coffee with every meal and frequently in between. At age 16 I started drinking it too, following my mother's advice to forego any sweetener. Coffee-drinking is a lifetime activity so its best to fend off those spoons-full of sugar. For … [Read more...] about Why I Quit Caffeine

Finding Happiness breaking my coffee addiction,  why I quit drinking coffee

June 12, 2017

Body Memories of Grief

Do you sometimes have body memories -- that is, memories triggered by bodily experiences? Today I sat down in a dentist chair, opened my mouth for Abby, my dental hygienist, and was pierced by grief and a sense of doom. My body seemed to recall -- more clearly than my mind -- a teeth cleaning … [Read more...] about Body Memories of Grief

Grief & Grieving grieving my father at a one-year anniversary,  the body holds memories of grief

May 9, 2017

When Grief Sucks Us Dry: A Funeral & “Fun Home” On the Same Day

My little church experienced two unexpected deaths in two weeks -- fatal heart attacks of otherwise healthy persons. During that same period, a good friend of mine was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died within a month. I did all the things a pastor does. I visited hospitals and put … [Read more...] about When Grief Sucks Us Dry: A Funeral & “Fun Home” On the Same Day

Grief & Grieving Fun Home the musical,  grief and loss,  Jeff Krehbiel

November 16, 2016

BIRTHED: Finding Grace through Infertility, a book review

Do you know someone who is struggling with infertility? Perhaps this is the story you live, but hide from others. Or perhaps you have a different but similar sort of heartache. Do you know the feelings of repeated loss and grief, which bring a sense of hopelessness? My friend Elizabeth Hagan has … [Read more...] about BIRTHED: Finding Grace through Infertility, a book review

Book Reviews,  Grief & Grieving a story of adoption,  Birthed: Finding Grace through Infertility,  Elizabeth Hagan,  grieving infertility

August 12, 2016

Counting Dad’s Days

Dad's medications were already organized by the time I arrived at the house, dispensed into two identical trays which had been labeled with a Sharpie: Week 1 and Week 2. I noticed the organizers on the dining room table, and for a moment wondered which of my sisters had filled the plastic … [Read more...] about Counting Dad’s Days

Aging,  My Dad, Nicholas J. Huizenga when a family member is dying at home

July 15, 2016

This Is How We Grieve

My father died in the early morning hours of Father's Day, about a month ago. My husband and I have been keeping my mother company since then. We're grateful for flexible schedules -- an upside of being a writer married to a teacher on summer vacation. As the days pass, we are finding our way to … [Read more...] about This Is How We Grieve

Grief & Grieving spending time with my mother after my father's death

June 28, 2016

Memorial Service Liturgy

My father wrote the liturgy for his memorial service many years before his death. Working with it after he died, I felt very close to him. As a pastor, I have planned and conducted many funerals. Years ago Dad told me he wanted to prepare his own memorial service liturgy, and asked me to send him a … [Read more...] about Memorial Service Liturgy

Grief & Grieving,  Ordained as a Clergywoman grieving for a parent,  memorial service,  memorial service liturgy,  Nicholas J. Huizenga

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