Marilyn R. Gardner's Blog, page 50

Third Culture Kid Gifts – Loyalty

It was New Year’s Eve and I found myself freezing on a bus with no heat in a sub-degree midwestern winter. I was about to turn 20 years old. I had come to the United States from Pakistan at 18 and was in the middle of my college years. The trip had originated in Altoona, [...]

Refugee Sunday – A Day of Sharing

Each year, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America set aside the SundaybeforeThanksgiving as a time to specifically remember refugees and highlight the humanitarian work that they do through International Orthodox Christian Charities. Today is the day set aside for 2016. It is hard to get our heads around the [...]

The Simple Pin

Since November 8th, the day that shall live on in infamy, people have started wearing little safety pins. I was unaware of this until my friend Jill explained their significance and gave me one to wear. To wear a safety pin is to make a statement. Where this began is a little uncertain. There are [...]

Rambling Thoughts on Confronting an Idol

I called my mom before the election with one specific question: “Mom, when did American politics get mixed up with Christianity?” I really wanted to know. I didn’t grow up in the United States and throughout my childhood, my parents voted via absentee ballots. I remember political discussions about the U.S. taking place every four [...]

On #InternationalDayofTolerance – Fight for Asia Bibi!

I’m angry. A Christian Pakistani woman is sentenced to death in Pakistan. Her crime?She is allegedly accused of insulting Islam after a group of Muslim women did not want her sharing the samewater bowl as them. She offered them water and they refused stating it was “unclean.” I wish this was hyperbole. I wish that [...]

Election 2016 Detox Plan

No matter where you live, you are probably completely fed up and exhausted by the U.S Election 2016. If you are a U.S. citizen, you are even more tired of it, even if you were on the winning side. So it’s time to purge and detox. Like a colon cleanse, this list is designed to [...]

Loving People Well – Djibouti Jones

Readers, I’m sending you over to Djibouti Jones this morning. She has written a beautiful “post U.S. Election” piece called Loving People Well. Here is a just a taste of her beautiful piece: What does it look like to love well? Listen to broken hearts, serve the needy, give up my tendency toward greed so [...]

Friendship, Facebook, and an Impossibly Soft Couch

“I miss you and your impossibly soft couch,” my friend writes to me. I smile as I think of her and the hot mugs of tea we would drink as we would sit talking together. There was no clock in sight – time was unimportant. What was important was the friendship, kindred spirits meeting together [...]

A Life Overseas – Relax!

Readers, I am at A Life Overseas today talking about how God is at work in places where we go — and because of this, we can relax. In August of 2015 I had the privilege of going to the Kurdish area of Iraq to work with refugees. On my first day there,I was traveling [...]

After the Election:How to Build a Bridge

At 2am I received a message from a Turkish friend living in Istanbul. She wished me luck with the election. “I hope it will go well for you” she said. I was deeply touched. Global friendships are a gift that God has given me and I am grateful. Right after I heard from Elif I [...]