Author Archives: Christiana McQuain

Sustenance: Community of Giving

Posted on June 22, 2014 by Christiana McQuain

There is a chalice lighting poem often used in Religious Education classes for young children.  When I taught RE at the Pre-K level, we recited this at the opening of each session.  (There are hand gestures that go with it … Continue reading →

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Sustenance: Take a Breath

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Christiana McQuain

We take our first breath the moment we are born, and not until our last breath at the moment we die do we cease to depend on the air that surrounds us.  Although most of us rarely attend conscious thought … Continue reading →

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Sustenance: Sleeping In

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Christiana McQuain

We all know of the importance of getting enough sleep, yet so many of us are challenged to do so. It’s so difficult for us to let go of the feeling of forward motion of the day, that we stretch … Continue reading →

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Sustenance: Saying “Yes!”

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Christiana McQuain

Just as long as I have breath, I must answer, ‘Yes’ to life; though with pain I made my way, still with hope I meet each day. If they ask what I did well, tell them I said, ‘Yes’, to … Continue reading →

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Sustenance: Re-Wilding

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Christiana McQuain

I grew up in a large metropolitan city and, while I have always had an affinity for nature, I have never really had an appreciative connection with it.  I enjoy the feeling of grass beneath my feet, but I abhor … Continue reading →

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Sustenance: Cooking with Intention

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Christiana McQuain

“. . . One of the pleasantest of all emotions is to know that I, I with my brain and my hands, have nourished my beloved few, that I have concocted a stew or a story, a rarity or a … Continue reading →

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Sustenance: The Sound of Silence

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Christiana McQuain

In our world, there is no such thing as true silence; even the quiet moments are filled with ambient sound.  Birds chirping, leaves rustling, the whirr of an air conditioning unit or a laundry machine, the hum of a computer…  … Continue reading →

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