For my recent 60th birthday I wanted something
more than the usual sweater or blouse from my mother. I wanted a keepsake,
something to treasure, from her. And so I decided on a cross pendant. While in Texas last month to celebrate the big
day, she and I went to the James Avery store and had a wonderful time looking
at the many possibilities, trying a few on, and ultimately choosing what’s
called the Serenity Cross. It is very
simple and lovely, with a tiny dove in the middle.
If you’ve been reading this blog for long you’ll know that I
am a Christian, but not the born-again, salvation thru Jesus’ death, all others
go to hell kind. I call myself a
Christian because I try to use Christ as a model for compassion and love, an
ideal of which I fall far short.
When I was at my Shalem residency in March several of the
other students and I began a conversation about wearing a cross. It began with my admiring one that a friend
was wearing and her confession that she usually felt awkward doing so. I admitted the same and then our rationales
began: people will think we’re evangelicals or theologically conservative
(not that there’s anything wrong with that; only in our minds); it might be misinterpreted
as a fashion statement (yes! remember Madonna’s huge crosses draping her
scantily clad body?); or, my faith is
private, I don’t need to parade it.
These rationales left us both feeling empty and we began
instead to talk about why we might
wear a cross: to remind us of our guide,
to ground us, to not be ashamed of our faith, to open conversations. So at that point Pattie and I made a pact to
wear a cross at least once a week. Over
the next few days two other women joined us in this agreement and now a
therapist, a general in the Army, a former editor and a church musician are all
wearing a cross every week.
I have a pretty gold Celtic cross that I bought in Ireland a
few years ago, as well as a couple of others given to me as gifts. But as a way of honoring this commitment as
well as my significant birthday I wanted a new one, bought just for these
occasions. And I have my keepsake and
treasure, from my dear mother.
