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in susan narjala
A Good Man: A Tribute to my Dad on his 80th Birthday
I remember crafting you a "poem" when I was eleven years old. It was your 45th birthday and I wrote this for you:
Born in ‘45
Today 45,
Half of 90
In the Year ‘90
You thought my poem was next-level brilliant. Like, Nobel Literature Prize worthy. Like, Shakespeare should be taking notes.
Thirty-five years later, you’re still the biggest cheerleader of ...
A Letter to My Daughter on Her 16th Birthday
Dear Girlie,
Happy 16th Birthday!
First things first.
Now that we let you get a second ear piercing for your birthday, we’re officially in the “cool parents” club. Right?
Who am I kidding?? We’ll never qualify as “cool” parents (or is it “lit” parents now?), will we? To clarify, we will still be asking you to put away your ...
Holy Huddles in the Messy Mundane
I rummage through the snack drawer and pull out a happy assortment of goodies: Hide & Seek cookies, Medjool dates, salted makhana, and some woefully ignored packets of channa dal. Feeling slightly guilty about all the processed snacks, I throw some mandarin oranges into the mix. I deposit the items on the dining table along with three ...
How Can I Be Free From Fear?
Growing up, I attended a strict Catholic school in South India. For 12 years, I wore a school uniform of the prescribed length, socks that were modestly high enough to pass inspection, and startlingly bright white canvas shoes.
My whole modus operandi in school was pretty simple. It wasn’t to get good grades. It wasn’t to ...
When Obedience Looks Like a Big Transition
Ten years ago, if you’d asked me whether I could survive without my weekly trifecta of Target, Trader Joe’s, and Totally Pointless Shopping, I would have protested with a “No way!” and clutched my shopping cart tighter than ever.
But a lot has changed since then.
Ten years ago, we were immigrants in the US. By all ...
Triggered, Yet Transformed
One word I’ve heard often in the last few years is “triggered.” That wasn’t a common word in the first four decades of my life. But recently, it seems like everyone—and their best friend—is “triggered” by the slightest provocation.
It could be a word or comment that sets them off. Or it’s the crazy traffic, an ...
What Does Trusting God in the Storm Really Look Like?
We’ve all heard it before: "Just trust God."
Well-meaning friends and family advise us to weather life's storms by trusting in God. Our pastors mention it from the stage almost every week. Blog writers (like yours truly) echo the same sentiment (with the best of intentions, I should add).
And with good reason. The Bible mentions the ...
Bible Plan: Finding Rest in a Busy World
To continue our June series on Bible Plans, this week we're focusing on the theme of rest.
There’s no getting around the fact that we live in an always-spinning world. We yearn for quietness in our souls – but, often, that deep rest seems out of our reach. Or is it? In the next few days, ...
It’s Time We Brought Back “Sin”
Yeah, I admit. That’s a clickbait-ish title. But, I assure you, it will make sense eventually. Hear me out.
In recent years, we’ve grown less accustomed to hearing that little three-letter word, “sin.” I’m not talking about popular culture where I wouldn’t expect the word “sin” to be bandied about, unless used to convey something exciting ...
MEET SUSAN
