paravanes:meditations

 --Promo piece for Dark Girls Recently, I viewed (for the second time) the D. Channsin Berry/Bill Duke documentary " Dark Girls ." It was a painful view, but I felt compelled to watch and listen carefully because I could identify so deeply with much of what was said. This message rang through the film: there is something ugly and unpleasant about being a "dark girl". This does not mean dark girls are ugly or unpleasant. Still, much of what is presented in this film shows how differently dark girls experience life. Generally speaking, these differences are not considered positive ones. I think there was much truth and painful honesty in this film, but a part of the story is missing. Since Lupita Nyong'o won an Oscar, made a famous and well-documented speech , and appeared on several fashion magazine covers, I have listened and watched many women describe how triumphant Nyong'o's story is: she is the manifestation of dark bea...

Ladies, when you look in the mirror, what do you see?  If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, your answer can be “I see a beautiful reflection of God when I look in the mirror.” Why is it so difficult for so many of us to easily and honestly give that answer? Perhaps no one has ever told us we are beautiful reflections of God. Reflections of God must be nothing less than beautiful, if we believe God to be beautiful. If our God is beautiful, surely we must share at least a sliver of that beauty in our physical selves. We can see it every day and acknowledge it with gratitude and grace. Do we let the world tell us what is beautiful? Did some of us get mixed up and lost at that point?  Basically, the world tells all of us that only a very tiny number of us are (or ever can be) truly beautiful and the rest of us must spend some of our spare time imitating, adoring, watching, and obsessing over “the beautiful.” When we are finished with the obsessing and ...

I got flowers today! It wasn’t my birthday or any other special day. We had our first argument last night. And he said a lot of cruel things that really hurt. I know he is sorry and didn’t mean to say the things he said, Because he sent me flowers today. I got flowers today! It wasn’t our anniversary or any other special day. Last night he threw me into a wall and then started choking me. It seemed like a nightmare, But you wake up from nightmares to find they aren’t real.   I got flowers today! It wasn’t Valentine’s Day or any other special day. Make- up and long sleeves didn’t hide the cuts and bruises this time. I know he’s sorry because he sent me flowers today. I got flowers today! And it wasn’t Mother’s Day or any other special day. Last night he beat me again, and it was much worse than all the other times. If I leave him now, what will I do? How will I take care of the kids? What abo...

Does God love women and girls less than God loves men and boys? It's a reasonable question. In many parts of the world, the lives and fortunes of women and girls are severely diminished because of gender. Options for education, literacy, physical health and wellness, freedom of speech and expression are often limited out of existence for women. In many cultures, girls are sold into marriage as soon as (or before) they enter puberty. The worldwide human trafficking plague takes away or forever wounds the life possibilities for women in all countries. The United States and Canada are not exempt. How many of us would recognize someone who is a victim of trafficking? Critics of Christianity have said God hates women, or that God has placed (through religion) women in a inferior status to men. Is this true? In the Gospels, Jesus shows us how much God honors, values, and respects women and the well being of women. When in Matthew 19 , Jesus' disciples asked Him if it was OK...