We’re all in this together

People making a heart shape with a rainbow flag.

The last couple of months have shown us in unprecedented ways the connectedness of our global family. Though international travel has come to a near standstill in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19, the lives and challenges of people in other parts of the world have rarely felt as close and relatable as…

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Ascension Day: A Testimony of Jesus’ Trust

A poster for ascension day.

We don’t often think about Ascension Day as one of the important Christian holidays; however, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Just as  Christmas and Easter remind us of the incarnation of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of Emmanuel, Ascension Day solidifies the fact that God is with us. Through the ascension of Christ,…

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Agender Pride Day

A green and white flag with a black background.

May 19th marks Agender Pride Day! To be agender means to not identify as any particular gender.  Agender is also called genderblank , genderfree, genderless, gendervoid, non-gendered, ungendered, or null gender. The agender identity falls under the nonbinary umbrella and (sometimes) the transgender umbrella. Agender people can have any preference for pronouns (he/she/they), but some prefer to avoid…

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International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia

A group of people standing in front of a rainbow colored background.

Today is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia! It was on this day in 1990 that the World Health Organization made the decision to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder. The day was highlighted to draw attention to the discrimination and violence experienced by people with diverse sexual and gender orientations. Though the world…

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Expressing Gratitude

A pink background with a white brain and gears.

At this moment, I think we all feel a bit traumatized. The quality of life we are experiencing is not like anything most of us have ever lived through before. In this time of physical distancing, our thoughts are even more engaged. As we spend more time in mental solitude, it can become quite easy…

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Ramadan Mubarak! Ramadan Shamil!

A silhouette of a hand reaching up to a crescent and stars.

Ramadan Mubarak! Attempts to establish a lexicon of non-degrading appropriate terms for the LGBT community in Arabic is an ongoing process first traced back to the end of the 1990’s. In 2003, a group of LGBT identifying Arab women call the Mujadarra Grrls, published a bilingual glossary of positive expressions of sexuality in Arabic that…

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Ramadan and Zakat

The kaaba in mecca, saudi arabia.

Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and is observed worldwide by those of the Muslim faith. The Fast of Ramadan lasts the entire month, which can be 29 or 30 days, depending on sightings of the moon. Ramadan is a time when Muslims concentrate on their faith and spend less time on the…

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Portal to a New World:
An Earth Day Reflection

An image of an eclipse with a quote on it.

There are so many lessons to learn in this time of COVID-19, and specifically throughout Eastertide, the 50-day period between Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday. On a positive note, we have witnessed the uniting of humanity. We have seen people come together, quickly to combat colossal issues. On a challenging note, we cringe at the…

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Yom HaShoah 2020

A circle of photos with the words'remember'in hebrew.

A name is a life, a story, a whole world – relationships, thoughts, feelings and dreams, dreams, dreams. On this Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah, the air we breathe is filled with lives and worlds and dreams as Jewish communities all over the world read the names of those who perished in the Holocaust. Six…

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A New Normal

A black and white photo of a bench in a park.

Life goes on. The world will eventually resume its normal practices, but with a new perspective in mind. There have been terrible pandemics in human history, but we continue to survive, adapt and thrive with new know-how and ambition. During this period, we will face new challenges, make adjustments in our regular actions and grow…

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